BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OP 1891 « jj.fjr.faoo'^ 3j^fga^ Cornell University Library SF 487.H62 1892 The illustrated book of domestic poultry 3 1924 003 143 561 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003143561 o .J ■Ai' THE ILLUSTRATED BOOK OB DOMESTIC POULTRY. ,, EDITED BY" ,-y i' MARTIN Bi^E;' THE FIGURES DRAWN FROM NATURE BY C. H. WEIGALL; €tt!jTibtti anb ^rircti)) in ®il €daatH bg M. ^uhte & (Ha. A NEW EDITION. PHILADELPHIA : POETEK & COATES, 822 Chestnut Street. •;UNivi:nD'rYi ^. LIBRARY BHEBUAlr Ic CO., F HI LAD B LF H li CONTENTS ORtoiJT OP DoMESTio POULTRY Page 1 Shanqhae, or Coohin-China fowl 4 Tlieir habita 7 Laying and sitting 11 The eggs 12 Their form 14 Points required 17 Whites and Greys 19 Bufis 21 Browns 22 Duns and Blacks 23 Breeding 26 On crossing with Cochins 31 Table of expenses and produce 33 Profitable result of keeping. ... 34 Brahma-Poutras 43 Spanish 64 Their varieties 67 Comparative advantages 66 Proper mode of feeding 69 Breeding and crossing 71 Eggs of Spanish 78 DOKKINO, their origin 83 Best kind for the table 86 Not suited to damp soils 90 Their eggs 92 Crossing advisable 92 On the fifth toe 96 Poland, origin of crested kinds . . 97 Aldrovandus' figures of Paduans 99 Kumerous crested kinds . '. 101 The several varieties 102 On the colours 106 Chicks require care , , . . . 109 Malay and Indian kinds 113 Their origin 113 Observations of different judges 116 Kot adapted to cold climates . . 121 Marks of Pheasant-Malay .... 124 The Silk Cook 124 ChitiagoDgs 125 NegroCock 127 MalabarCock 128 On size and eggs Paaf. 131 Fkizzled fowl 132 Pumpkin, or Tail-less fowl 133 Game kind 135 On cock-fighting 136 The Krowsley breed 141 Thaneveral varieties 142 Their hardy nature 148 Bantams, origin 152 Turkish and Baatara allied. . . . 153 The several varieties 165 The Speckled 15? The Sebright 158 The Silver-laced and Spangled 160 The Black and White 162 The Silk and Partridge 163 The Turkish and Cambodje 164 Bakbakt fowl 166 Hambukgh kinds 167 Classification 169 Chittaprats 171 Bolton-Bays 172 Silver Spangled 173 ' Golden-Spangled 175 Redcap 176 Black-Pheasant 177 Gdinea fowl 178 Discordantopinionsoi old writers 179 Crested and Mitred 183 Self-coloured, White, and Pied 184 Well worth keeping 185 Their habits 187 Pood and diseases 190 Peacock, derivation 192 The wild kind 194 TheJavan 195 Bequired points 197 Japan 198 Piedand White 199 Habits 200 Eggs of Pea-fowl 202 Young ones 203 TuBKEY, early account 205 n CONTENTS. ToRKET, the wild Page 207 Honduras aud Brush 211 American species 214 Norfolli varieties 216 Pure white kind 218 Habits of laying 221 Care of young ones 222 Geese, Grey-lag 226 Bernicle 227 Canadian.. 229 Bean ^. 230 China .1. 231 Egyptian 282 Geese, Domestic Page 233 Toulouse and Embden 234 Anecdotes 237 Habits 240 Duces, Mallard 241 Teal........ 243 Widgeon 244 Mandarin, and Carolina 245 Labrador 246 Aylesbury 247 Kouen 248 Musk 249 Habits 250 MANAa Breeding, proportion of hens.-.Page 253 Dorkings the best mothers 254 Proper age of cock 256 Laying, indications 258 Warmth recommended 259 Progress of formation of the egg 260 Time essential 263 Dr. Bostock on the egg 264 Egos, to preserve 265 An experienced housekeeper's practice 267 The best layers and sitters 270 Monstrous ones 271 On varieties of eggs 272 Hatching, natural process 275 Artificial 276 Cantelo's mode 281 Rgaumur's method 285 Fresh eggs necessary 290 Produce of double eggs 292 Ducks' eggs 293 Number of eggs required 295 Hens must be carefully fed 296 Nature rarely at fault 298 General remarks on the care re- quisite 300 Turkey, Goose and Duck 302 Practical observations 303 PonLTHY-YARD, proper site 306 Fowl-houses, Mr. Bond's 307 " Mr. Adnam'e 311 E M E N T. Fountains, Mr. Bailey's Page 315 " Mr. Baker's 315 Poultry-woman's duties 316 Food 317 Times of feeding 320 Use of coops 321 Food for chicks 322 Food for goslings 324 Ducklings, early treatment 325 Guineas must be often fed 326 Coops 327 Digestive ohgahs 332 Feeding, cost 337 Pure and natural recommended.. 340 Indian mode 340 Geese and goslings 341 French mode 343 Ducks 344 Capons , 345 The process of oaponizing 346 Diseases, classification 350 Fevers and loss of feathers 351 Diarrhoea and constipation 352 Gapes 353 Gout, rheumatism and pip 354 Roup 365 Phthisis, megrims and apoplexy 356 Vermin 357 Cramp 353 Indigestion and tonics 360 DOMESTIC POULTEY. OuK Domestic Poultry belong, respectively, to three dis- tinct orders of the class aves ; viz., the rasorial or gallinaceous order, the columbine or gyratorial order, and the natatorial or swimming order. As the term rasores* leads us to infer, the birds included in this class are chiefly, if not exclusively, terrene in theii* habits ; many of them roost, for they can hardly be said to perch, on trees, though they can use their wings ; but some, as the partridge, grouse, and others, remain always on the ground. The generic characters of the ff alius are, — bill moderate, strong, convex above, curved towards the point, naked at the base, and furnished with fleshy protuberances, called wattles ; head surmounted with a fleshy crest or comb ; legs in the male, armed with a long spur ; wings short and graduated ; tail-feathers fourteen, forming two vertical plains, with the under side of the feathers inclining towards each other, and so making what may be called a folded tailj the middle feathers longest and curving backwards. It would seem that all attempts, beyond a certain point, to trace back the history of some of our most common fowls, have been unsatisfactory ; but it is generally agreed that their ancestors were natives of the warm climates of Asia ; and the observations of travellers would direct us to look to the * From radere (perf. rasi), to scratch. 2 DOMESTIC POULTEY.' forests and jun'gles of India for the aboriginals. Although some difference of opinion exists as to the precise race from ■which any individual tribe has sprung, or the exact original locality, the more common opinion is, that they have all pro- ceeded from one of the following specific types. First. — ^The Galltis giganteus, or large Kulm fowl, as it is called by Europeans in the Deccan country, where it is domesticated, as also in the Malay peninsula; and to this parent stock are traced, by some ornithologists, the Malay, the Pheasant Malay, the Shanghae, and others. Second. — The Bankiva or Javan cock occupies, according to Cuvier, the second rank in the production of our domestic fowls and their varieties, having, equally with the first- mentioned type, many points in common with our fowls of all denominations ; and from this source Temminck supposed that the Common, the Crested, the Bantam, Dwarf, and Dorking, have sprung. Third. — Gallus Sonneratii, or the Jungle Cock of British sportsmen in Indid. Sonnerat, differing from others, is of opinion that this is the original parent cock. Colonel Sykes relates that this bird is very abundant in the woods of the Western Ghauts, where there are two very strongly marked varieties. In the valleys more than 2000 feet above the level of the sea, this species is found ; and in the belts of the woods, on the sides of the mountains, at 4000 feet elevation, there is a short-legged variety. Colonel Sykes found the eggs of this species to be exactly like those of the domestic fowl in form and colour, though somewhat less in size.* * To those who may wish to know the distinctions of the above supposed types of such numerous and various descendants, we give the particulars with the authorities : — Oallai gigamteus. — It often stands considerably more than two fedt from the crown of the head to the ground. The comb extends backwards in a line Witt tlio eyes ; it is thick, a little elevated, rounded upon the top, and has almost the appearance of having been cut off. The wattles of the under mandibles are comparatively small, ana the throat is bare. Pale golden. THEIR ORIGIN. 8 Some naturalists have concluded that the parentage of our fowls can be traced to the Capercailzie, or Cock of the Woods, which is now nearly extinct in the British Isles, although still abundant in some of the northern parts of the continent of Europe. That the fowl was domesticated and extensively spread at a very remote period is most evident ; for when the Romans first invaded the shores of Britain, they found both the fowl and the goose in a state of domestication, but not for the purposes of food, for Caesar says, "they deem it not lawful to eat the fowl, the hare, and the goose ; nevertheless, they breed these animals for the sake of fancy and pleasure." Sacred history, in the enumeration of the provisions for the supply of Solomon's household, mentions "fatted fowl." reddish hackles ornament the head, neck, and upper part of the back, and some of these spring before the bare part of the throat ; middle of the back and lesser wing-coverta deep chestnut, the webs of the feathers disunited ; pale, reddish-yellow, long, drooping hackles cover the rump and base of the tail, which hst is very ample, and entirely of a glossy green, of which colour are the wing-coverts ; the secondaries and quills are pale reddish-yellow on their outer webs. All the under parts deep glossy blackish-green, with high reflections. The deep chestnut of the base of the feathers appears occasionally, and gives a mottled and interrupted appearance to those parts. — " Penny Cyolopsedia," principally from Jardine. Qallus Bamlci/ea. (Temm. ; Javan Cook, Latham). — Length, twenty inches or more ; bill, pale brown ; sides of the head bare ; serrated comb ; moderate- sized wattles ; crown, nape, and neck, furnished with hackles of bright ferru- ginous shade ; saddle hackles similar, but paler, and long at each side over the quills ; the middle of the back, and the plumage across the middle of the wing-coverts, fine reddish-chestnut ; but the shoulders, lower series of wing- coverts, and scapulars, steel-black ; quill-feathers tawny brown, with blackish ends ; within, dusky ; beneath the body, from the heart and under wing- coverts, black ; tail steel-black, long, and curving downwards ; the feathers of unequal length ; the two longest curving like a sickle, and four inches longer than the adjacent ones ; legs dusky, with a. stout, sharp spur, three-quarters of an inch in length. — Hen, much smaller. — Latham. Gallas Sormerutii. — The cock is grey, varied with red and white ; the chest reddish ; the neck and wing-coverts yellowish and ashy-brown, and the tail glossy green. The hen is smaller, without any comb or wattles ; the head leathered, and the body duller, varied with blown and red, — Sonnebat's "Indian Voyages." i DOMESTIC POTTLTET. After the Babylonish captivity, we cannot doubt that the fowl was among the domestic animals of Palestine; for Nehemiah (b.c. 445), in his rebuke of the Jews, says, c. V. ver. 18, "Now there were at my table, prepared for me daily, one ox and six choice sheep, also fowls." Antecedently to this period, the fowl was abundant in Persia. Thus Peis- thetairus (Aristophanes) : "No lack is there of proofs to show the truth of our opinion : that birds, not gods, o'er men and kingdoms reigned, the kings and sovereigns were of yore. And first I instance, in the cock, how he the sceptre bore J how, long before their monarchs the Persians him obeyed, or ere Darius or Megabyzus swayed. And so, he's named the Persian Bird. — ^And still he struts; no other bird there is that wears the turban cock'd* but he." Not only do the classic poets and historians speak of the high antiquity of the fowl, but medals and coins proclaim the same, and bear its figure stamped upon them ; nor is its delineation absent from other relics of remote periods. Among the Greeks and Romans, the fowl figured in the public shows. The cock was dedicated to Apollo, to Mer- cury, to Esculapius, and to Mars; and its courage and watchfulness were well appreciated. The Ehodian fowls, and those of Delos, Chalcis, and Media, were celebrated for their superiority in fight, and for the excellence and delicacy of their flesh. At every Roman banquet, this bird formed a highly-esteemed dish, and then, as now, was fed and fattened up to great perfection. The custom was to cram the fowls with meal, and keep them in the dark, that they might more readily fatten. Cock-fighting was a diversion in accordance with the taste of the Romans, and they were as much devoted to it as the Malays of the present day, who will stake their all upon the issue of the battle. The fowl is also domesticated in great abundance" by * The king only among the Persians wore his turban erect '^ CQ ^^; or dark blue colour, yet sometimes of a pale blue- white ; but specimens which exhibit ' dark blue and white on the legs must be dismissed. The soles of the feet are of a dingy flesh-colour; the tail is 64 DOMESTIO POULTET. rather erect, well balanced and finely adjusted, presenting (if ■weU plumed, as it should be) a very elegant green-hued shade, and sparkling with metallic lustre when exposed to the sun's rays. The White. — Prom this variety we have reared the best Spanish specimens : they inherit the usual qualities and peculiarities of the Black, but the general feather being, aa the face, perfectly white, they present no strong reflections of light and shade, as do the Blacks, and none of that strong contrast, for which these are peculiarly distinguished. When kept in good airy and healthy situations, they have, however, a very delicate and pleasing appearance; and it should be remembered that some fanciers do not admire strong contrasts, but prefer a subdued and settled delicacy, especially, as in the case of these birds, if their milk-white feather is relieved by a healthy vermilion comb, with sparkling joyful eyes : the legs and feet also form a partial relief, from being more or less dark. These birds are not usually so hardy as the Blacks, but are frequently bred from, as well as reared with, the latter. Blacks bred from "Whites are in general as hardy as the primitive variety of Blacks ; while the Whites bred from the Blacks are not so hardy as the latter, showing a peculiarity resulting more from colour than constitution. Here we must again pause to make one remark. We have known instances, and therefore can corroborate the testimony of those who have asserted the fact, that the black Spanish fowl has moulted nearly white in plumage, but at the same time has " thrown" black chicks. We know an experimental and successful breeder of Spanish fowl, who has frequently carried off the "palm of victory" from our poultry-shows, who some years since, for experiment, paired a white Pile Game cock with a Spanish hen, and most of the pullets resulting from this cross resembled THE SPANISH. 56 the father, whilst the cockerels more or less ' took after the mother. Again, he selected from the pullets those most resembling the Spanish, and mated them with one of his own purely black Spanish cocks, from the issue of which he selected the entirely black pullets and bred them with a fine Spanish cock ; this was practised for several successive years, until he at length obtained separate prizes for three of the produce as pure Black Spanish. Since that period some white-coloured birds have occasionally appeared in his broods : those which came white from such stock invariably took after the old Pile ancestors, as disturbers of the peace, as well as in constitution, but in no outward respect showing the white face and ear-lobe fully, as in any of the Blacks. The Ancona, of all sub-varieties, show too clearly the results of a cross. There seldom is much white about the face, and in many cases none ; the ear-lobe is, however, of that colour, though not so long and full as in the Black. The comb and gills are generally more pendent; and if examined, the former will be found more deeply serrated and thrown towards the base ; but . they possess the general characteristics of the Spanish class, and are excellent layers. They are of a very unsettled colour, spotted with white ; but far from regularly marked : they also present many other shades and colours. Minorcas are very similar to the last-named tribe, wanting the white face of the Black variety, but having their long and weU-covered head and suspended wattles. The ear-lobe is white, but in very few instances is it of a clear shade, but verging towards the side into a somewhat flesh-coloured tint. The shank is not so long as in the true Black, and there is not the especial dignity of bearing so much admired in this variety. They are good layers, but bad sitters and mothers. As they are so common in many of the inland counties, they do not require minute description. In Devonshire 68 DOMESTIC POULTRY. especially, Minorcas are very abundant ; but in tlie majority of instances nothing more can be observed in them than in a common Black fowl; indeed they are rapidly degenerating, little pains being taken to improve, or even keep up the original qualities of the stock. Captain Hornby speaks of this Minorca variety as having but a resemblance to the Spanish, and wanting the white face. And there is little doubt that they are degenerating fast into the black mongrels of the great Spanish family. The Minorcas and common Blacks crossed, will produce a very good egg-laying tribe ; better, probably, than some of the very high-bred and pure sorts. But if we be asked the question, generally, can the laying properties of the Spanish be improved by crossing ? we must reply, that this is pro- blematical, or rather, improbable ; yet, that the Spanish, like the Cochins, will improve other breeds in this respect, by being crossed with them. A large breed from Constantinople and its eastern boun- daries is spoken of as a variety of the Spanish ; but we have no satisfactory particulars of it, farther than the brief notice of it in Mr. Dixon's book, which characterizes the hens as having a large iiaccid comb, flapping about like a piece of red velvet, and being astonishing layers ; and, as a necessary consequence, seldom disposed to brood. Such hens as these would be valuable in an economical view, if Dorkings were kept for hatching duty. The same, indeed, may be said generally of the Spanish varieties. Let them be kept for laying exclusively ; and the others for brooding, laying, and furnishing- meat for the table. If two kinds only be kept, there could hardly be a better selection than of these two distinguished classes. Inferior crosses from tbe Spanish are, as we have intimated, very common ; and most of the black fowls we see, if they bear any resemblance whatever to the THE SPANISH. 57 high family in question, are dignified with the patronymic, however obvious may be their illegitimacy. The Andalusian is unquestionably a cross of the grey Manx, which is now rarely seen. "Vyiien carefully selected, the chicks throw black and white, and if those most resembling the originals are bred together, a neat (grey) bird may be obtained. They are good layers, and far better sitters and mothers than the Blacks, and have shorter shanks ; whilst their principal peculiarity consists in ia tail standing very erect, the feathers of which in many specimens nearly touch the hackle-feathers of the neck. The Andalusian variety is generally well plumed, and the Chickens are quicker in feathering than the Blacks. They are good feeders, and may be very easily and quickly fattened ; and the flesh is excellent. The cheek of this fowl is more or less coloured, and from among the same brood' of chicks we have invariably found that the darkest birds possess the whitest faces. They are a very hardy fowl, and possess a fair share of the Blacks' good qualities. The Manx is, we repeat, the original domes- ticated species of Spain : we have seen but one specimen of the class, and believe it to be nearly extinct. They are of a greyish cast of colour, and do not show a white face, but have white ear-lobes, which are rather full, compared with those of other varieties of domestic fowl, although less so than in the Black Spanish. They have a large comb and wattles, are somewhat short about the leg, both in shank and thigh- joint, and are smaller than the present Spanish in body; they exhibit white quills in the wing-feathers. Mr. John Taylor, who has obtained many prizes for his Andalusians, found great difficulty in procuring pure spe- cimens of them in Spain, where they are extremely scarce. ' Out of twelve of the best that could be obtained for him and brought to England, there were but three possessing the 58 DOMESTIC POULTEy, true colours and other indications of pure blood. By uniting them with his original stocky a vigorous and improved progeny was raised. Some of the pullets^ at an early age, laid eggs weighing three and a half ounces each. He com- plains, however, that they will occasionally " throw back," from having been long intermixed in Spain. Mr. Taylor notices the important points in this variety, thus : — " Comb large, erect, and evenly serrated ; cheek white ; legs bluish ; plumage bluish grey or dove-colour, each feather being lightly margined with a lighter tint ; hackles glossy, velvety black, falling evenly on each side of the breast, in strong contrast to the colour of the latter, but full, carried very uprightly, with the sickle-feathers well arched. The hens have the same colours, but pendent combs. As a table fowl, I have a very high opinion of their excellence, regarding their dark legs as the only point in which they are behind the Dorkings in this respect; but this drawback I have obviated in the case of my white Spanish, having, by careful selection, obtained a sto6k of pure white fowls, with white legs, which I think, from the size of their eggs and the whiteness ojf their flesh, are quite equal to the Dorkings. The contrast, also, of their milk-white plumage and scarlet comb, is very pleasing to the eye." Mr. Taylor obtained numerous prizes for these handsome birds. There are many other sub-varieties, or rather strains, that have crossed with the Spanish stock, but they neither deserve nor possess a distinct name. These are to be found in many of the countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea ; they are scattered throughout inland provinces ; and in England there are heterogeneous breeds that have evidently been crossed by Spanish, and bear more or less a resemblance to that fowl, as may be observed in passing through the streets or suburbs of London. The Columbian, which is in the possession of Mr. Nolan, is THE SPANISH. 59 pronounced by him to be " the nearest proximate to the Spanish," but larger and taller, the cock being twenty-two inches, and the hen twenty-three inches in height, and weighing respectively eight, and six pounds and a half, the eggs being " the largest of the whole tribe of fowls j" and, according to their eulogist, they are not only prime layers but good sitters and mothers, — qualities which we have seen are not accorded to the genuine Spanish. "The plumage of the male bird is black, with metallic lustre; the comb large, serrated, and erect, sometimes double ; wattles long ; ears, cheeks, and throat, tufted with feathers — no topknot ; hackles shining black ; tail inclining towards the head, but plumed; legs blue or black; flesh white and delicate; chickens easily reared." What could be said more in favour of any race of fowls ? If they should prove, on full trial, to be deserving of such commendation, we may well sing — • "Hail Columbia I •- Whence have they come to us ? Mr. Nolan obtained his first stock from C. B. Newenham, Esq., of the county of Cork, who imported them from South America ; but, as we have shown in the first page of the history of the Spanish fowl, there is reason to infer that they were taken to the New World from Spain. The Spanish of some sort would have been probably the sort taken there ; climate and cross- ings may have produced in them the Columbians imported thence to this country by Mr. Newenham. The authors of the " Poultry Book" add some observations to those of Mr. Nolan. Having first dismissed the untenable notion entertained by the late Mr. Richardson, that because the Columbian is a noble and stately bird, he was led to consider it a primitive variety, and even as the origin of the breed known as Spanish, they state their belief that the 60 DOMESTIC POULTRY. Columbian has resultedj though possibly at a remote date, from the union of the Malay fowl (introduced into South America from the Philippine and other islands in the pos- session of the Spaniards) with the Spanish fowl, which had accompanied th6 conquerors of Mexico, and, of course, throughout the continent. The features of the Columbian variety are such as might be expected from this conjectured alliance. The black glossy plumage of the Malay is found in the other, and the figures of each have reciprocal resem- blance. "Any bird producing eggs that exceeded i^e usual weight of those laid by Spanish fowls, and at the same time proved itself a more constant layer, would be a valuable addition to the poultry-yard ; but in the present excellence of the latter breed, we should hardly venture to anticipate the combination of two such qualifications in any other fowl, however bred." If we were to admit that the Spaniards and Portuguese stocked the civilized parts of South America with the Spanish breed properly so designated, we should be disposed to trace to this parentage the Brazilians bred by Mr. Graham, which he describes thus : " The Brazilian is very like the Malay, with the same character of comb, but bearded. The plumage is remarkably glossy, in the hens approaching black, while the cock is marked with black on the back and wings. The legs are unfeathered, dark blue, with a httle yellow on the feet. Weight of the cock, six pounds three ounces; of the hen, five pounds. The hens have a peculiarly round head and bill, similar to that of the black grouse. The eggs are round, and of a dark mahogany- colour." There is one chief point in the Spanish fowls of such reputed importance in deciding the qualifications of first- class prize birds, that no perfection of symmetry or plumage, or any other excellence, can compensate for the want of it; — we mean, "a. white face, which should extend from the THE SPANISH. 01 ear-lobe to the bealc, and from the crown to the ^vattle." And it is the great difficulty of obtaining specimens satis- factorily exhibiting this peculiarity, that enhances the value of those which do possess it in an eminent degree. This white face is shown in the cock before he is half a year old, and completely so at the age of twelve months ; but not in the hen until a much later period. The white face is so highly estimated, that ten guineas has been no uncommon price for a bird of either sex possessing it in full measure ; and it has been insinuated, that pearl-ash is used in a lotion for the purpose of heightening its effect j but Mr. Baily protests against the use of any wash more potent than cold spring water, applied to the Spanish belle's face, or to that of her aristocratic spouse. There is, no doubt, a deceptiveness in such artificial making-up for an Exhibition ; and the natural rouge of the comb, whether this falls over gracefully in the female, or, as it should be, is upright in the male, forms sufficient contrast, even if the white should not be of the purest hue. Yet in itself, and in a utilitarian point of view, this white- ness i« utterly immaterial. The undoubtedly discriminating judge, to whom we have just referred, is rather of opinion that the white-faced Spanish are not such good layers as those which are not of such fair complexion. Now, as the chief merit of the Spanish consists in their fertility, any distinction which indicates their inferiority in this respect, is undesirable. Utility is, in such case, sacrificed to appearance. We are, however, only supposing, with Mr. Baily, that such may be the case, not that the fact is certain. Some notion may be obtained of the extreme difficulty of rearing prize fowls, in which a combination of what are supposed to be the most perfect attributes,' from a remark made to the gentleman first named, by a great poultry- breeder : — " I have given up racehorses to keep fowls, and I 62 DOMESTXC POULTRY. find there is no such thing as breeding all winners, and that it is almost as easy to breed the winner of the Derby, as the prize Spanish cock at Birmingham." The very slightest deviations from the assumed perfections of symmetry, or plumage, or any esteemed characteristics, disqualify poultry competitors, — which might have been prize birds of the first order two or three years ago,— in con- sequence of the astonishing care which has been taken within this period to improve every class of them, through the stimulating influences of national poultry-shows. , Perfection is now expected, and specimens deficient even in the least important particulars have no chance of success. The appearance of a feather, which may vanish in the next moulting, in the Black Spanish plumage, — though no proof of degeneracy in any respect, — would at once disqualify a fowl of this sort from getting a prize, however fine and handsome it might be : and that such stringent regulations, and what may fairly be considered extreme fastidiousness, are called for, will appear when the vast and increasing multitude of competitors, now exhibited at the great shows, is taken into consideration. For instance, at the Birmingham Show, December, 1853, if all the pens of poultry intended for exhibition had been entered in time, there would have been three thousand of them ; and if the exhibitors had not been limited to a certain number of pens each, the space that would have been necessary to accommodate all the volucriiie assemblage, would have been prodigious. At that show, — and Birmingham has had "the merit of having been the pioneer of the many shows now in progress, of having originated a new and lucrative calling, and of having afforded to professional men and tradesmen a delightful recreation, and at the same time that novelty a self- supporting, — and more than that, a remunerating hobby, — the Spanish fowl stood foremost. Captain Hornby, whose THE SPANISH. 63 indomitable perseverance is always crowned with success on these occasions of useful and innocent rivalry, gained two firstj and one second prize in the Spanish classes, which had the precedence of all others. It is not a little curious, either as an exemplification of the capriciousness of fashion, or of too exacting a fastidious- ness respecting those previously over-praised birds, that in the First Class of Shanghaes, the judges withheld the first prize. This, however, may have been occasioned by the late- ness of moultinj;, and, of course, unfavourable appearance of the full-grown birds exhibited, rather than by'any real falling off in their quality.* Yet the Spanish, which moult later, must have appeared under disadvantage, too, at so ungenial a season, though they bore away the principal honours. The selection of breeding stock must be partly determined by the considerations, whether fancy or taste is alone to be gratified, or whether economy and moderate profit are also to be kept in view, or whether profit or economy is to be solely consulted. In the two first cases, there should be much attention to shape, figure, size, carriage, feather, and the full development of the distinctive qualities of the Spanish. The lanky, flat- sided birds that we see under the name of Spanish, which they disgrace, are almost always produced by careless breeding. In this case, the old proverb " handsome is, that handsome does," is uppermost ; and the mere outward appearance of fowls, however desirable to persons who have taste for symmetry and beautiful plumage, will have little influence in deciding choice, at the expense of .the pocket. The superiority of the Spanish generally, as egg-producers, is so decided, that any cross from them meriting the character of everlasting layers, is worth encouragement. It is to be * Keport of the Show in the AgricvXtmrtd Oaeette. 64 DOMESTIC POULTRY. recollected that the HamhTirgli or Dutch is not the only sort from which everlasting layers have sprung. Any hens which with warmth and good feeding will lay eggs^ whether large or small, if continuously, through the winter more especially, are to be welcomed. And though the debilitating effects of continued laying must tell upon the constitution, yet where stock is not desired for the mere gratification of the eye, but kept on economical principles, it cannot be inexpedient to stimulate the prolific powers of hens to the utmost. If good layers, which have not the presumption to compete for the prizes of birth or beauty, can, by clever management, be induced to lay within two years the entire complement of eggs which in the ordinary course of nature would not be yielded by them in less than three years, there is an actual saving gained of at least one-third of food, if these effete layers be then fattened and killed — and no one will deny that the flesh of ^a two-year-old hen is more tender than that of one which has lived three years or more. No breed would be better, in the supposed case of economy strictly applied, than the common Blacks of Spanish blood, or some of thei^ sub-varieties. If hempseed and greaves occasionally administered to promote the fertility of the ovaries, have the effect of wearing the constitution, and shortening life in a corresponding degree, who cares, in the instance of mongrels, without pre-eminent grace or beauty, that are brought into the world for the purpose of supplying eggs and flesh-meat? The sooner they fulfil their destiny the better. This breed has the reputation of being more liable than others to lay soft, or shell-less eggs. Two or three causes may induce this imperfection in them. Precociousness in laying, brought on by too much exciting food, such as the stimulants we have named, is very likely to cause some disorganization of the ovaries, and a consequent imperfection in the eggs THE SPANISH. 65 formed there. Close confinement, or the want of a grass- iield, for affording the alterative food which grain-fed fowls so absolutely reqmre to preserve them in health; or the absence of calcareous matter, as lime-rubbish, powdered oyster-shells, or any chalk substances, may occasion in the eggs of the Spanish, more than other fowls, a deficiency of shell formation. We think it would be found, however, that any everlasting layers, afi'ected by the same causes which we have just sup- posed, would exhibit the same occasional imperfection of egg. This, too, is not unfrequently produced by worrying and frightening creatures so easily excited and alarmed. Agita- tion and excitement (reasoning from analogous effects on other animals) would very naturally cause a hen to yield her egg prematurely, and therefore imperfect. Inflammatory action in the parts where the eggs are formed and usually perfected, will necessarily occasion some derangement of the proper and healthful functions there, and the soft egg is the evidence of ■ this. The Minorcas, according to Captain Hornby's experience, lay eggs with harder shells than the white-faced. No one who has not observed the natural craving which poultry closely immured and fed on dry diet testify for green food, such as parsley, cabbage, and beet leaves, can imagine the avidity with which they will devour such substances at ] times. Confined in towns, fowls often experience an intense ' longing for such a change from corn ; and if the desire be not satisfied, the Spanish, more than fowls generally, from their greater sensibilities, may suffer in. the internal agencies which are necessary for the shell-work of the egg. A correspondent observes, that he has obtained many Spanish hens which had been parted with on account of this supposed incurable malady, and that he invariably overcame it by feeding the rejected hens on oats instead of barley. 66 DOMESTIC POULTRY whict had been the previous diet. But he lets us into the real remedy by adding, that he gave, every alternate morning, a teaspoonful of chalk dissolved in water. This he continued to do for three weeks, giving no oats for breakfast, but feed- ing the patients instead with a little coarse middlings, wetted into a stiff mash, in which were infused two or three table- spoonsfiil of old mortar. This treatment soon lowered the tone of the system to a healthy state, and eggs followed firmly shelled. It would appear, then, that a principal cause, at least of the soft egg, is too high feeding. But the contrary error of stinting laying fowls in their allowance of corn, is much more to be deprecated. The clever and apparently practical correspondent of the " Agricultural Gazette," who writes under the nom de plume of " Falcon," had a hen which was so debilitated from over- laying, that she lost the use of one of her legs in consequence, and was given over by the faculty of the poultry-fancy department. The owner forced down her throat a few pep- percorns and bread soaked in ale, which relieved her so much, that in a few hours she was walking about. In two days, however, she had a relapse, when the same dose was administered, and she recovered perfectly, and produced her usual number of eggs weekly. As the Spanish fowls are really worth whatever trouble any ailment, or imperfection in laying may occasion, we have here anticipated the more regular details of management contemplated for a subsequent part of this work, by briefly treating here of the malady just mentioned. Though the crossing of different kinds with Shanghaes has often led to the production of a very profitable stock for temporary purposes, we do not remember having ever seen a cross between the Spanish and the Shanghaes, that was an improvement on the former; neither have we seen fowls THE SPANISH. 87 from a cross of the Spanish with other kinds, equal to the true Spanish itself. Of all the varieties that may be met with, — there are none that could be pronounced equal to the pure Spanish. For experiment, a two-year-old Dorking hen was mated with a Spanish year-old cock ; but the result proved unsatis- factory, with the exception of one pullet, which, in appear- ance, "took after" the father; it was impossible, indeed, to point out in her any trace whatever of the Dorking fowl; the entire figure, face, and feather, were Spanish, and the comb was clean and clear when she was two years old. She was subsequently mated with a Spanish stag,* and the result was, that all the chicks except one, had the fifth claw and other indications of the Dorking breed. The hen with which these experiments had been made, was a very prolific layer. She was kept on this account for one year, and she gave fiiU proof that so far as egg-producing went, she was superior to the best of the Spanish ; but this was a solitary instance of such excellence. Why then is it, that we see such numerous crosses of the Spanish, the offspring of which has always been so inferior? The reason is plain enough : the Spanish has always been mated with varieties very inferior to itself, or, if crossed with the Dorking, their progeny have been again crossed indis- criminately. The crossing of the Spanish fowl with other varieties, is usually practised by persons whose custom, when their male birds are getting too old, is to select the largest and strongest of the young ones, regardless of bi'eed or strain. Such neglectful and careless breeding invariably leads to utter degeneration, and the Spanish, as a cross, becomes in consequence greatly despised; for if they be mated with inferior birds, of course the consequences will he • One-year-old cock. The term is properly applied to the Game cock. E 3 68 DOMESTIC POULTEY. unsatisfactory. If, on the contrary, they be well matched, why should not hoth breeds be necessarily improved ? The fact is, we have few practical and judicious men who will trouble themselves with spoiling breeds, — which they consider it to be, and which, as fancy stock, it really is, — by crossing the Spanish with the Dorking fowl. Yet if a judicious Course of management were adopted, and the off- spring of this cross carefully selected, and again crossed with different strains of either breed, we are confident that the result would be highly advantageous so far as egg-producing is concerned, and the flesh would also be greatly improved. For instance, pursue the experiment stated in the preceding page, though it did not prove entirely successful ; select the cockerels and breed with Spanish hens two years old, and the pullets to match with a good three-year-old Dorking cock ; from the brood select some cockerels to breed with Dorking hens, and again from such issue select the best pullets, to breed vrith Spanish cocks ; and so on, with the occasional in- troduction of a prime Spanish cock and first-rate Dorking hen. When experiments 'of this kind are to be made, they should be tried upon a small scale, by which they may be tested as satisfactorily as on an extended one ; if experiments fail in the former case, the consequence is trivial, but if on a large scale, the poultry-yard may be filled with indifferent stock. There are problems sometimes affecting the pro- pagation of poultry, as of more important animals, which it may be very desirable to solve, and it would be folly to lose opportunities of information, from want of sufficient trials ; but these may be made with a very few individuals of the poultry-yard ; and it should be remembered, that, however successful the effects of crossing may appear to be, hybrids, or the offspring of crossing in any way, are inadmissible as prize birds in the " Fancy " department. All fowls are better for being batched in a warm season. THE SPANISH. 69 and the Spanish are no exception to this. Though of a sound constitution, no fowl is more injured by cold. Their roosting-places therefore should face the south, and be well protected from cold winds, especially as they are subject to long and protracted moultings. The cold affects their comb also, which is sometimes frost-bitten, with a Uability to mor- tification. Yet the Black Spanish of all others are desirable for the winter, because, for the prudent housewife's reason, that the black hides the dirtj though they may be dirty and draggle- tailed in winter, their plumage shows less of mud and filth than white, or any bright-coloured plumage. The dark colour is also proof against smoke, so that for a city or town life, especially in manufacturing places, no robe is more appro- priate than theirs. No other species of fowls will retain its beauty of plumage under the usually detrimental influences of smoke so well. Even the naturally white face does not show a dark and dingy hue, from the influences of smoke, because the strong contrast of generally black feathers, makes even a dusky white look like " unsunned snow." The flesh of the Spanish Black fowl is juicy and of good flavour, but not equal to that of the " Dorking" in point of delicacy; the colour, however, is good. The flesh of the White Spanish is not considered so fine in flavour, as that of the Black, yet it is not bad, especially if young. As regards productiveness, the Spanish are unquestionably of the first degree, and surpassed by none excepting the "Shanghae," which exceeds them, however (as shown in Part I., Table I.), more ia the number than in the weight of eggs produced. We would also observe, that the four birds of this family alluded to there, during the two years produced 113 oz. of egg beyond the amount yielded by the Spanish, which, if estimated in Shanghae eggs of 2\ oz. each, amounts to fifty-one eggs, and being sold at market, as was 70 DOMESTIC POULTKY. all the produce of those birds, at the rate of 5s. 6d. per hundred,.the value of the fifty- one eggs is brought to 2s. did. Now the extra expense of producing this 2s. 9|e?. by keeping the Shanghae fowls during the two years, was found to be 10s. lOd. For the convenience of our readers we furnish them with the following Table : — S i^ ■c-a g li •2 iou li. ■151 53 S ■si Aggre eggsl years. !z;.sa" II oz. £. a. d. ^. B. d. ^. s. d. i Cochin or Shang- 3569 8456 1623 1571 4 9 3 4 6 4| 3 5 2 14 2 14 3 1 12 2| 4 Spanish ... „ ... ... 4 Dorking, . ... ... 3004 1365 3 15 Of 2 14 2 1 10| 4 Polish... ., „ „ ... 2961 1346 3 14 0| 2 11 11 1 2 IJ From this it may be seen that the Spanish produce in two years, as far as comparative intrinsic value is concerned, is but 3s. lO^d. behind the Shanghaes, whilst the latter, during the same time, cost 10s. lOd. more to keep than the Spanish. The diflfercnce therefore is 7s. 11 |d in favour of the Spanish. We here discover what really is the intrinsic value of the Spanish eggs calculated by weight, A hundred Spanish eggs average fifty ounces more than common fowls' eggs. There- fore families which consume their honie-produced eggs, and so receive the full advantage derivable from the greater weight of the Spanish ones, will derive more profit from these than from the Cochins. But when eggs are sold by the dozen or the hundred, regardless of weight, they make a very different return. Who then in this case obtains the advantage ? The purchaser. THE SPANISH. 71 undoubtedly. Supposing that they are bought at market, we shall say for 6s. the hundred, regardless of weight, and retailed at a certain price each, according to size, their greater size renders them more valuable as being of greater weight than smaller eggs, such as those of the Cochins com- pared with the Shanghaes. Yet the Spanish will perhaps have produced in this illustrative instance but 6d. more per hundred eggs, which is a poor return for the hundred half- ounces that a hundred Spanish eggs usually weigh over and above the same number of the Shanghaes, or any other fowls' eggs. Now to calculate iu a common-sense and equitable way — can it be doubted that three large Spanish eggs, each weigh- ing 2J oz., will go farther than three Shanghae eggs, each one weighing 2-i- oz., a difference amounting to nearly 2 oz. in every three eggs ? The eggs of the Spanish fowls then are of much more intrinsic value than those of the Shanghae. In round numbers, the hundred half-ounces being brought into Shanghae eggs of 2 J- oz. produce twenty-three eggs, which are worth much more than the 6^. they bring at market when sold by weight. We therefore affirm, that those who keep fowls, take their eggs to market, and sell them at a certain price per hundred (little difference being made between those which are light of weight and others that are heavier), are not the persons who derive benefit from fowls laying larger eggs. Thus it is while business is carried on at market upon the present system of selling at a certain price per hundred ; we hope, however, that this bad mode of dealing will be abolished, and a more equitable system of vending adjusted. The eggs of the Spanish fowl are not merely very large, but particularly delicious in flavour. The hens are free layers, generally pro- ducing two eggs consecutively, and then missing a day. The general form and position of the Spanish fowl is very 72 DOMESTIC POULTRY, uprightj slanting from tLe neck; the bearing being the reverse of the Cochin fowl^ as the back of the latter bird inclines upwards, while the front parts have a contrary tendency, thereby forming extraordinarily large proportions behind, whilst the back of the Spanish fowl passes sharply downwards. These are well-proportioned birds, and their general bearing is replete with grace, harmonizing with a beautifully symmetrical form. Although we have recommended them as good fowls for town, it is not to be inferred that they are not equally serviceable in the country, where, if in the enjoyment of a grass-walk, they amply reward their owners by their graceful appearance, as well as by a bountiful production of eggs. As to healthiness, they (as is the case with the generality of black fowls) are less liable to roup than lighter-coloured ' birds; in fact, the Spanish fowl is less subject to disease than are most of the common black varieties. It can hardly be said that they are pugnaciously inclined, and they will rarely fight or quarrel in a decided style ; but they are very averse to strange fowls, and if separated from each other even for two or three days, the hens will disagree seriously upon being reunited; they often dispute for pre- eminence, and in case one hen should gain and hold her ascendancy, she will follow nip the privilege of authority by . harassing strangers, until perfectly well assured of having firmly established her authority over them also. Subse- quently, she will again form intimacy with all her associates indiscriminately ; which proves that she may be passionate and excitable, but not revengeful. In case of a strange hen being tormented by her companions for any length of time, so that she is afraid to come and feed with them, or of the cock displaying his protracted dislike to her, it will be right to remove her, or she may be reduced to so low a condition as to render her unable to escane their THE SPANISH. 73 persecutionsj and avoid death from their violence. This, or any confusion and quarrelling in the poultry-yard, may sometimes occur, and not least frequently with the Spanish race, and cause serious loss and inconvenience ; especially if some highly-prized hen be sent for conjugal purposes to a stately Hidalgo, who takes a dislike to her at first sight, and beats instead of wooing her. It would be best in the case of a hen destined for bridal purposes with a strange bird, to bring them t6gether a month before the breeding season, in order to establish the desired intimacy ; or, supposing the breeding season to be at hand, the hen and the cock may be at once placed under wicker baskets for two or three days, before they are let loose together in the same yard, seeing each other, until they begin to ogle and serenade, and make love after the Spanish fashion, but remaining apart, until by degrees their acquaintance may be drawn closer, — cage to cage — bar to bar — until by the superior force of mutual attraction, their pre- vious repulsions are so counteracted, that on liberation from this gentle captivity they become sociable and loving ; and the cock thenceforth insists on due respect being paid to his new mate by all the other concubines, who soon become reconciled to her, and free from jealousy. To provide hens of the best kind for furnishing the table with eggs, a cross of any prime sort of fowl with the Spanish would be beneficial, if judiciously done; but as regards the Cochin, a cross with the Dorking would be better than with the Spanish. The Spanish is ' always inclined to run long bot'i in the thigh and shank ; the Cochin has also this tendeu'jy. The form then would be improved in this particular, ^y pairing a round, plump, short-legged Dorking hen with 4 Cochin cock ; good birds would be the result. But as regards a cross between the Cochin and the Spanish, we should not be san- guine of success, from the cause intimated. The alliances of 74 DOMESTIC POULTRY. long-legged varieties would naturally tend to a still greater length of limbs. The Spanish pullets commence laying when six or seven months old, and occasionally sooner, though some of them commence at a later period, according to feeding and treat- ment. But premature fertility is not to be wished for, as it will frequently happen that pullets which commence laying very early, seldom lay when fully grown so large an egg as those produce which do not lay before they are eight months old. Indeed the debilitating effects of either premature, or continual laying in ripe age, as respects the Spanish breed (which has been classed with " everlasting layers," from its reputed fecundity), are now and then manifested by the loss of the body-feathers in moulting, besides the usual falling off of the neck, wing, and tail feathers ; and when thus stripped, the poor birds look very miserable in harsh weather. The reparative agencies in the body, which, if they were not exhausted by egg-producing, would quickly supply a new growth of feathers to succeed those which had fallen off in the regular course of nature, and not in the excess just stated, are insufficient to supply the deficiency. The colour of the Spanish egg is a clear white ; its surface is very smooth : — PAO-SraniB OF THE " SPANISH " EOiS. THE SPANISH. 75 Nine of these eggs are sufficient for hens of ordinary size, as they are so much larger than the generality of fowls' eggs. If a greater number be set, they will not be sufficiently covered, except by a turkey or a goose. It will, indeed, be unwise, with any breed, to select the first doaen of a pullet's eggs for hatching ; not that they are unprolific (assuming of course that the pullet had not been without a male partner), but, being comparatively immature and small, it is not likely that large and strong chicks will be the issue. Besides, pullets occasionally do not enter into tender union with their male companion until they have laid five or six eggs. The colour of the Spanish chicks, when first hatched, is a shining black, with a pinafore of white sometimes on the breast, and a little white also around the bill and the eyes, that gives a milky appearance to the head and face, which subsequently becomes a dead white. They do not, until nearly grown, get their full feathers, and therefore they should be hatched at a favourable season of the year, to be well feathered before the autumnal fall of temperature. But " there is any- thing but an uniformity in the time Spanish chickens get their plumage; the pullets are always earlier and better feathered than the cockerels ; the latter are generally half- naked for a considerable length of time after hatching. But this is not universally the case, for some of my best cockerels were feathered tolerably well at an early age. This is a fact worth some particular remarks, as many superficial observers in this neighbourhood have invariably rejected, for breeding purposes, the cockerels which got their feathers early, sup- posing from that fact that they were not pure bred. But I have not only found them to possess all the qualities of the Spanish fully and truly developed, but that their early feathers so screen them from the inclemencies of the weather, that they are enabled soon to outstrip their brethren in she."* ♦ Mr. BiaselL 76 DOMESTIC POULTKy. The original Spanish fowls, brought from the West Indies and naturalized in Spain and Holland, were excellent sitters and good mothers; but the high artificial culture to which they have been subjected in this country, coupled with the occasions of breeding in and in, have had a great share in influencing the Spanish hen to depart from her primitive motherly habits. Spanish hens seldom exhibit a disposition to undertake the task of incubation, and if it be attempted, they will in the generality of cases forsake the nest long before the chicks would be hatched. Sometimes, however, they wiU perse- veringly perform the maternal duties ; but it is against their general character. They are somewhat disproportionately long in the leg, consequently are more subject to cramp ; this partly accounts for their being so averse to such seden- tary occupation. Since, therefore, they will not undertake the office of incubation, we must impose it upon some other class of fowl, that will not only accept the task, but will joy- fully hatch and rear the young of even another species until they are able to take care of themselves. It is by this means the Spanish breed is still preserved and mul- tiplied. Mr. Nolan is so enamoured with these noble Spaniards, that he considers it a grievous offence against economy to have the time of a Spanish hen taken up with hatching and rearing chickens, when she might be adding to the stock of her own kind by laying eggs, which could be hatched by deputies of less-distinguished birth. Yet that the Spanish, notwithstanding their prolific qualities, and the great size of their eggs, are not worthy of preference to some other sorts, especially the Dorkings, seems to have been the decided judgment of the Koyal THE SPANISH. 77 Agricultural Society, who gave their highest prize to the latter class of fowls, in 1852. This preference from so distinguished a society, whose authority appears indisputable, has given rise, however, to discussion, and no little dissatisfaction to the admirers of the Spanish class. Trivial as tlie subject in itself is, it has a legitimate claim to a passing notice in these pages, which fly at no higher quarry than cocks and hens. The case may be stated in a few words : — The Agricultural Society, considering that it would be more consistent with their views to give any impulse in their power to the multi- plication of the breed of fowls most profitable to the farmer, and most generally beneficial hoth to the breeder and the consumer, named the Dorkings, on such utiHtarian grounds. They did not view the fine Spanish birds with the mere eye of the " fancier," but looked to the real marketable value of the fowl, the economy of its keep, its hardihood, and other good properties. In short, .true to their principles, they looked to the substantial merits of the potdtry which they honoured with their patronage ; and rightly (but without Shylock's malevolence) exacted " the pound of flesh," in this instance, instead of a weight of showy feathers, and the heraldic crest of the grandees, which, to the indignation of their devoted party, were obliged to foUow in the train of the humbler Dorkings — a mere country breed, not altogether "unknown to fame," but having no pretensions, according to the notions of the Fancy, to appear, at all, amidst the very select society of aristocratic fowls, and far less at the head of them. Some said that this extraordinary honour paid to the Dorkings, was intended merely as a compliment to the people of Surrey, in whose county the Agricultural Show was held on the occasion referred to. Others saw the matter iu what 78 Domestic poultry. we decidedly deem the true point of view — that of general utility. That the highest prize should have heen given to Dorkings, caused some astonishment in the minds of the Spanish poultry-fanciers in particular. One of these gentlemen,/ though admitting that the object of such meetings (as those of the Agricultural and Auxiliary Societies) is to encourage the best, breeds for the farmer and cottager, denied that, even on such grounds, the Dorkings were superior to the Spanish, except in being better for the table — a very essen- tial matter. He asserted that the Spanish will lay in the year three eggs to two of the other kind, and, what no one can deny, that the weight of the Spanish egg is greater. This gentleman, who strongly advocated the cause of his favourite Spanish breed, unwittingly used an argument which was fairly turned against him. He had reasoned, that because it was easier to get many good Dorking chickens than one good white-faced Spanish fowl, — an obvious argu- ment in favour of the Dorkings,* the Spanish should be more encouraged. "We must, however, hold the scales of justice evenly, and deny the general accuracy of a statement, however correct it may have been in the individual case put forth by the anta- gonistic patron of the Dorkings, that these lay as many eggs as the Spanish, the heaviest weight of a single egg pro- duced by either being three ounces and a quarter. Spanish pullets might have been compared in this instance with Dorking hens, or the Spanish might have been inferior spe- cimens, and the Dorkings first-rate ones. The tables of comparative weights that we have instituted, give a greater weight to the individual eggs of the Spanish by a quarter of aa ounce. Some prime eggs of this breed have brought five * See AgrictiUwal Oazelte, June 26th, 18S2. THE SPANISH. 79 shillings each for setting 1 Such are among the results of the enthusiasm in poultry-keeping, which so usefully operates. The conductor of the Birmingham Show, in Octoher of the same year, gave precedence to the Spanish; but taste and fancy may be supposed to have been the guiding spirits there. While the Agricultural Society, which associates the breeding of poultry with the higher objects of the farmer's pursuits, from the graver considerations of economy and profit, "submit prize lists (in the words of one of their Poultry Committees), which they consider calculated to stimulate farmers to improve the stock of their poultry- yards; and not having reference to feather and properties, but being intended to encourage the breeding of those varieties which are most valuable for the table, or the supply of eggs." In a theoretical classification of fowls, Mr. Dixon has placedthe Spanish in a position, which it must gratify the "Spanish fancier" to contemplate; namely, at the top of an entire class of full-sized fowls, — not, however, from any peculiar excellence, we must say, but from the form of the comb, which he lays down, with Aristotle in his mind's eye, to be most properly a distinguishing feature ; and assuming that the serrated upright fleshy comb is the typical distinction of the cock, he gives to the Spanish fowls the pre-eminence which the great development of comb in this breed entitles them to in this respect. Taking this race as the type, he suggests a classification which should embrace the different species, and some varieties, beginning with the single high-combed Spanish, through the smaller or rose-combed breeds, to the commencement of the tuft in the lark-crested fowls ; placing the top-knotted Polanders at the bottom of the class of full- sized fowls. 80 DOMESTIC POULTRY. In instituting a comparison between the Sharighaes and Spanish, breeds, more particularly, we avail ourselves of the opinions of Mr. Edward Bond, a Yorkshire gentleman, who has given the subject much attention. On the whole, he prefers the Cochin China to the Spanish, as the latter, though less tender in rearing than the Dorkings (this would have been a point eagerly caught up by the advocate of the Spanish, to whom recent allusion has been made), are afterwards not less hardy. They have succeeded well with Mr. Bond, in the neighbourhood of Leeds, Besides their acknowledged beauty, he especially notices their uniformity as a flock, so conducing to their agreeable appearance. As to their utility — the grand consideration after all — ^their eggs are as good, if not better, than those of any other fowls, and though not so frequently laid in winter as in the case of the Cochins, the size of those they do lay is a set-off oji the other hand, besides the consideration that they do not lose time in their desire of incubation. Believ- . ing that they will lay a greater weight, of eggs in the year than any other fowls, he considers them on this account the ' best suited to the wants of the farmer and^ottager, who have facilities for the sale of eggs. He does not admit any inferiority in their flesh for the table ; on the contrary, he says that by some they are considered as very superior for this purpose. They are not so domestic as the Shanghaes, but will not ramble much from home, if well fed; nor are they inconveniently quarrelsome among themselves, though he has twenty-one hens and three cocks of the breed. This is the most decided panegyric on the Spanish fowls that we have seen ; and coming from so respectable an authority, it "vjll have its influence with many; yet not with ourselves. Tn resjpfict of general utility and profit, we think it has been rated beyond its intrinsic worth. THE SPANISH. 81 The novice who for the first time purchases a " setting " of Spanish eggs, and after hatching them finds fault both with himself and tlie dealer — if not in audible expressions, ' at least in internal misgivings upon seeing the chicks marked black and white — need not be discouraged on that account' for he will eventually find that those parts which were at first white, will ultimately become black. At ten weeks old the chicks are well fledged and strong, but until that period they require warmth and great attention. Afterwards they are almost as hardy as the "Cochin China" chickens. In the cockerel, little of the real white face is seen until the age of four months, when both in cockerels and pullets ir gradually makes its appearance. Before that time they have a very delicate look about the face, and long skinny, mealy heads. A "blushing" countenance, or a shade approaching to it, is a very bad sign in this family of fowls. Some specimens begin to show the white face much earlier than it is seen in others, and on the other hand, chicks of which we have entertained but little hopes, from their back- wardness in developing "face," have ultimately become very cheeky birds. At five months they will generally be well plumed, but the face, comb, and gUls continue to grow after this time. The tail of a cockerel is not by any means so full and circ"jlar, neither is the general plumage so developed and beautiful, as when he has arrived at two years' growth, at which p.Triod, immediately upon mtoultiug, he is considered in his prime. At the age of six months the cock should weigh about five pounds, and pullets fouT pounds. As regards feeding, change of diet is very essential. Feeding will occupy our attention in a distinct series, in which every particular connected with that subject will be fully discussed. F 82 DOMESTIC POUI.TET. Great disappointment usually accompanies a novioe'g first attempt at breeding prize stock. In the case of the Spanish fowl, there is much less probability of success attend- , ing the young experimenter^s first season, even if two first- rate specimens have been procured for breeding stock. These may be perfect in their kind, but it will seldom occur that more than two or three chicks out of a full brood will be obtained possessing the full parental excellence in externals: this is the case even with the most critical matching, and the most experienced breeders. The novice's first experiment generally proves a decided failure, unless the breeder of whom he makes his purchase well matches the birds. Great judgment is requisite in this particular, and extensive practice with close observation, present the only means of acquiring ibas judgment. THE DORKING. OtTR ethnological researches as to the remote orijgiu of the Dorkings, have failed in fixing the precise period of their appearance in England. Caesar mentions that the Britons of his day kept fowls, but only for amusement or pleasure, as the flesh of poultry was prohibited as food by the Druidical laws. If, then, a fair plump chicken was forbidden to our Celtic progenitors as an article of food, and yet, in their con- dition of semi-barbarism, they bred and domesticated poultry, it could only have been for the purposes of the cockpit. The British were not then poultry fanciers, their habits and tastes being too rude for such refined pursuits, which are only consequent on a high degree of social advancement ; but they may have indulged in that barbarous passion for cock- fighting, which has always characterized, and even now dis- graces so many of the Asiatic nations who have not yet emerged from their original barbarism. Nay, it is not so' long since, in our own coimtry, this most objectionable of popular British sports has been suppressed. However this may be, both the white and coloured Dorkings urge their claims to priority of ancestry in England ; some of the enthusiastic admirers of the white Dorkings say, that they are a more ancient race than the coloured, and that the coloured are a variety derived from them; whereas the supporters of the coloured Dorking maintain that the white, which are of lesser size, and therefore of an assumed dege- neracy, are a deteriorated ofi'spring from the others. If we may venture to ofi'er a conjecture on this abstract point of physiology, we should say that, as in vegetable propagation, white flowers are often found to break or degenerate into r3 84 DOMESTIC POTTLTRY. colours, although coloured flowers do not become pure ■white, — so, by analogy, the white bird would degenerate into a coloured one, though the converse would be unnatural. The present race of Dorkings must have acquired more pacific dispositions, however, than the aborigines in Caesar's days, if they were kept for the purpose of fighting, for they certainly have no apparent affinities with the game fowl, such at least as they are known to us. Yet they are by no means of a timid nature; on necessary occasions, they manifest sufficient spirit : even Dorking hens, like other females, can scold and scratch when out of humour, and are occasionally crotchetty and whimsical ; but their natural dispositions are amiable in the main, though sometimes censurable. A short and simple anecdote will exemplify this. The writer of this article possesses two Dorking hens, which have had two broods in the present season. They were both affectionate mothers, until the period when, their instinct led them to separate from their progeny, over whose tender days they had attended with that self-denial and self-devotion which none but a mother can so forcibly exhibit. But when the little ones no longer needed the maternal care, and natural instinct • led the hens to separate from them, and lay and incubate again, one of the hens drove away her offspring in a very harsh^and unfeeling manner, and with a suddenness of im- pulse which must have astonished, as it certainly terrified, the abandoned and even persecuted chicks, which might be seen cowering apart in some secluded nook, beaten by their recently affectionate mother, if they dared to approach her, or pick up a crumb in her presence ; and at night, instead of nestling under the maternal bosom under which they had enjoyed warmth and secure repose, they were forced to group together, apart from the outstretched wings beneath which they had been curtained, while the Estranged mother sprang to the roost above their reach. THE DORKING. 85 The other hen, sister to the former, though so different in disposition, as will be seen, severed her maternal connection with her offspring with delicacy and tenderness ; she did not cause them to tremble and fear by day, and she gradually sepa- rated from them at night. During many successive evenings some of the more frolicsome and inconsiderate little ones fearlessly followed her to the roost, and some of them, bolder and more active than the others, jumped upon her broad back, on which for a time they fixed themselves, while the others got upon the same roost under her wings, and coaxed this good-natured parent to expand them in the accustomed manner for their comfortable rest. On other occasions, they used (at the same period) to mount hdr back as she trod the floor, and thus loaded, while bending beneath the unwonted pressure, she resembled an Irish beggar, trudging along with two or three sturdy urchins upon her back, seated on a gigantic bustle, containing all her spare wardrobe, which appendage, however, has no very obvious resemblance to the becoming tail of the hen. Before entering into minute details of the Dorlang breed, it will not be inappropriate to allude to some general points relating to the classification and qualities of poultry, and the public interest which the breeding and management of them is so usefully exciting. And it is a successful result of the care and intelligence exerted by us in attending to the right treatment and judicious propagation of poultry — as of other domesticated creatures given for the use of man — that the fowls which are kept and nourished by us will become much more productive of eggs and living offspring, and much larger and fatter for the table, when in a tame and compara- tively confined state, than they would be if left to roam at large under all the vicissitudes of climate, the precarious- ness of sustenance, and the perpetual assaults of more power- ful animals. The elephant, it is said, disdains to perpetuate 86 DOMESTIC POITLTEY. its gigantic race while in bondage, but happily for us, domesticated cocks and hens are not so dignified, and "born for our use, they live but to obey" the calls of our appetites; and the vast produce of eggs which may be placed on our tables, or hatched into the most delicious meat, seem to be as unlimited as our means of feeding and lodging fowls. If we were to select any class of these for general purposes, the Dorking would probably be our choice. But a few years have passed since this important branch of rural economy began to receive the attention and stimulus which it deserves. Farmers in by-gone days thought it too insignificant for their attention, and only suited at most to that of lady amateurs ; they despised the petty profits which might be derived from such a source, beyond the supply of their own tables, and left the English poultry market open to the industrious French and Belgian peasantry, who have been long supplying it with their lank and ill-shaped fowls, and an immense amount of eggs ; whereas a proper sense of nationality ought to stimulate all our agricultural classes to multiply more extensively our own plump, fleshy, and weil- flavoured poultry, among which it is pleasant to see the native Dorkings sometimes placed in the first class of fowls, and above all foreign ones, which, more or less, have lately become so fashionable. A list of the prices of useful and ornamental poultry from the establishment of that distin- guished judge of fowls, Mr. Baily, of Mount-street, London, is lying before us ; and the Dorkings are at the head of his list. Mr. Baily is competent authority on this point, and we are glad to have seen due honour given to our favourites by him at some of our earlier poultry shows, — Dorkings, whether double or single combed, have been favoured with the first places, and the prizes for them have been emulously contested by various grades of society. Every year the number and im- portance of them increases : at the last Christmas Metropo- THE DORKING. ~ 87 litan Show, £1,636 was taken for poultry exhibited there, and the Dorkings which were reported to have been perfect, and were there in great numbers, sold better than any other class ; according to the report of the Agricultural Gazette, they made in most instances more than the reserved prices put upon them — several pens of a cock and three hens realizing ten guineas. The results of such Shows in improving the breed of poultry generally, and of Dorkings particularly, have been, among other proofs, remarkably exemplified in Hertfordshire, where the inferiority of the poultry was obvious. Lord Verulam, one of the chief proprietors of that county, offered a prize for the best Dorking cock and hen. At first there was little competition, but now Hertfordshire can show as good as any other county. Assuming that Dorkings are the most beneficial ^r little farmers and cottagers to rear, it is desirable to multi )ly provincial, and even parochial exhibi- tions, for the purpose of encouraging this class of fowls, and, generally, of promoting the propagation of the best kinds of poultry of all sorts. The fowls of the Irish peasantry, which so frequently furnish the tables of the British consumers, are in many localities of Ireland of inferior kind ; and if perfec- tion of form, vnth all the most valuable qualities for the cottager's practical object, are thought to be realized in the Dorkings, confosion of kind by careless breeding with other sorts, and the consequent hybridising which must ensue, should be carefully avoided; for though excellent offspring may be obtained in poultry amidst many decided failures, by good crossings, such offspring will frequently' be bad, as in vegetable physiology; and mongrels employed to multiply their common kind, would usually generate a very defective family, and the succeeding generations would become more and more deteriorated. In the present case, pure Dorkings should be continually bred from the same race, but not from 88 DOMESTIC POULTEY. blood relations, especially from such near ones as brothers and sisters : pairs may be mated from separate districts, and thus, though of the same class of birds, degeneracy from breeding in and in, continually, may be easily avoided. Sir John Sebright, to whom our country is so much indebted for his scientific and practical experiments in the breeding of poultry, found that too long a continuance of breeding in and in, produced in his poultry too great an elongation of the legs, — a defect which never affects a good Dorking. But the change of blood as to consanguinity — yet without intermixtui-e with another tribe, would prevent this or any other modification of deformity. The Editor of the Agricultural Gazette has coincided with Mr. Baily in predilection for the Dorkings, and professes his own readiness to second any effort to restore the Dorkings to their rightful position, and gives praise to Mr. Baily for having had the courage, during the present (Cochin) cock and hen fever, to patronise the Dorkings ; and adds, that "he should be encouraged in his endeavour to bring us back to Dorkings and common sense." The Dorking is distinguished by ornithologists, as the Gallus Pentadactylus — or, in our plainEnglish, as the five-toed species ; and Pliny alludes to them as a variety existing in his time, and distinguished by an odd number of toes. It is most probable that this sort was introduced into Britain by the Romans. Columella has accurately described the modem-coloured Dorkings : " Let them be of reddish or dark plumage, with black wings. * * * Let the breeding hens be of robust body, square built, full breasted, large heads, with upright and bright red combs. * * * Those are believed to be the best bred with five toes." All these points are typical of our Dorking, except the "large heads," which some crossings may have occasioned. Yet the old Sussex or Kent fowls, which are very simQar to the others. THE DORKING. 89 but without the fifth toe, were, it has been conjectured, the originals of the Dorking. The converse is equally presum- able when the probability of an immigration from Rome of the Pentadactyli, so familiar to the Roman naturalists, is admitted. But a Norman origin is also suggested. Even this antiquity ol eight centuries is sufficient to justify the honest pride of the Surrey people; and certainly if Normandy has been the cradle of the Dorking, the descendants of the parent stock do not reflect discredit on their high ancestry, but exceed the modern Norman fowls in the most essential points. But after all — and this we state in the most private and confiden- tial manner, and in the hope that it will not reach the ears or eyes of the Dorking ladies, — Mr. Baily has intimated in his preface to the "Dorking Fowl" (but fortunately for him prefaces are seldom read), that they have not been longer established in Surrey than " about a century." We have Mr. Baily's professional and disinterested judg- ment, which has pronounced " that there is no breed to he compared with the Dorking, which unites in itself more than any other all the properties requisite for supplying the table ; that the hens are good sitters and good mothers, and that there is a natural tendency in the breed to fatten, so that the young ones are made to attain to eight or nine pounds' weight, and at table they surpass all others in symmetry of shape, and whiteness, and delicacy of flesh :" and also the following tribute of homage to the excellencies of our favourites from the elegant and classical pen of the Rev. E. S. Dixon : " Eor those who wish to stock their poultry-yard with fowls of the most desirable shape and size, clothed in rich and variegated plumage, and not expecting perfection, are willing to overlook one or two other points, the speckled Dorkings are the breed to be at once selected. The hens, in addition to their gay colours, have a large vertically flat comb, which, when they are in high health, adds very much to their brilliant appear- 90 DOMESTIC POULTRY. ance, particularly if seen in bright sunshine. The cocks are magnificent ; the most gorgeous hues are frequently lavished upon themj which their great size and peculiarly square-built form display to the greatest advantage. The breeder, and the farmer's wife, behold with delight their broad breast, the small proportion of offal, and the large quantity of profitable flesh. The cockerels may be brought to considerable weights, and the flavour and appearance of the meat are inferior to none. The eggs are produced in reasonable abundance, and though not equal in size to those of Spanish hens, may fairly be called large. They are not everlasting layers, but at due and convenient intervals manifest the desire of sitting. In this respect they are steady, and good mothers when the little ones appear." Having short, compact legs, they are well formed for incubation; and while long-legged Cochin Chinas are indisposed to scratch the ground for food — ^pro- bably because their legs are too long for activity, — the Dorkings use theirs nimbly. Yet birds formed as the others, may be the best to encounter the moisture of rank herbage in shrubberies, plantations, or wet fieldSjbecause their legs there act as stilts on which their bodies are borne above the damp vegetation, which is prejudicial to the gallinaceous tribe. Young birds of this form remind one of the .Continental peasantry near submerged swamps, who, in winter, are obliged to move about on high stilts. The Dorkings are not so well suited for damp soils, by reason of the shortness of their stilts. They are also distin- guished for breadth of body, the somewhat partridge form, and c-lso, in the poulterer's phrase, for being clean headed ; Though they possess great similarity of form, there is much variety of colour; but they are generally distinguished as white, and grey or speckled, and also by the character of the comb — viz., as single and double, or rose-combed; and classed accordingly at the poultry shows. THE DORKING. 91 Though the Dorkings ai'e divided into these two prin- cipal classes — the white and the coloured, — there are recog- nised sub-vai'ieties, with distinctive marks. THE WHITE DORKING. Tliis sort is preferred by some breeders, and especially in the neighbourhood of Dorking, where they are ufeually worth from seven shillings to half a guinea a couple, alive, which, according to our informants, is a little more than the coloured fetch ; as mere ordinary stock, this is, however, much less than 'is charged by professional breeders in London, who furnish the best and finest types of the kinds. Prize birds, indeed, of the Dorkings, frequently bring from 21. to 3/. A reason assigned for the higher price, reported to us as obtained in Dorking for the white, is that they are more scarce than the others ; and this scarcity may arise from the greater uncertainty of rearing them, which, if they are not wanted for merely amateur purposes, would be decidedly condemnatory of them where they are only kept for practical and economic purposes. This variety seldom produces more than two broods in a year, because they require more favourable seasons, and greater warmth than their hardier congeners. The white is not so large as the coloured (this is obviously a disadvantage), and, as a general rule, whiteness in animal physiology is indicative of constitutional delicacy: this discouraging opinion of white fowls was maintained long ago by Columella, who condemned them as tender in constitution, and deficient in vigour and fecundity. Their average weight is less than that of the coloured, "and although," as Mr. Baily has remarked, " it may appear anomalous, it is not less true that white-feathered poultry has a tendency to yellowness in flesh and fat." M. Soyer, no bad judge of the matter, says, that fowls with black legs 82 DOMESTIC POULTEY. are the best for roasting, and those with white test for boiling; consequently it would appear, that Dorkings are better suited for the pot than for the spit. The reader may satisfy himself on this point experimentally. The white do not lay so freely as the coloured; and from their rather inferior size, their eggs are of course smaller than those of the coloured. The difference, however, is but trifling. The diagram represents the average size and form. A Dorking lady, who has had during three years a large stock of pure white, found that the eggs diminished in number — a circumstance which for some time appeared inex- plicable. It was suggested to her, that crossing the white with the coloured might remedy the failure; she acted on this advice, and the result was that the egga became as plentiful as at first. No doubt this was judicious for the mere purpose of increasing the size and quantity of the eggs by an infusion of new blood ; and this mode of inducing increased fertility in the laying stock by changing the blood, is exactly what Mr. Dixon has suggested with respect to the Dorkings, his opinion being that they are not profitable, if kept thorough-bred and unmixed. But on the physiological principle already noticed, all crossing where the excellence THE DOEKING. 93 of stock is an object, should be discouraged. The crosses produced even from the most perfect parents of different families will, like hybrids generally, degenerate, and revert to their remote or original types, losing the characteristic merits of the new families, from which they have had their more immediate parentage. The mode of correcting such a deficiency as that experienced by our Surrey correspondent, is to introduce new breeding birds every second year, at least, from different strains of the same tribe — totally unconnected by blood relationship. As Dorkings have not degenerated in any of their good qualities, they do not require crossing, even if it were admissible on general principles. The distinctive points are as follows : — The mite Dorking Cock and Hen are perfectly white in the plumage, bills, and legs ; both should have a double or rose-comb of bright red, though a single one is frequent, but this is considered a sign of degeneracy. The cock is very upright and spirited in his appearance, and his spurs are usually lower than those in other species. The fifth toe should be tvell defined. The hen has no individualities. The Grey or Speckled Cock. — The head round, and fur- nished with double or single comb, of bright red ; wattles, large and pendent; the ear lobes almost white; hackles, a cream-white, and the feathers of the hackles dark along the centre ; the back, grey of different shades, interspersed with black; saddle feathers, same as hackles in colour; wing feathers, white, mixed with black ; the larger wing coverts, black; the lesser, brown and yellow, shaded with white; breast and thighs, black or dark brown ; tail feathers, very dark, with a metallic lustre. The Grey or Coloured Hen. — Face, lighter coloured than that of the cocks; hackles, black and white; back, dark grey ; saddle and wing, grey, tipped with black ; tail, almost black. Five claws and white legs characterize both sexes. 94 DOMESTIC POULTET. The Spangled have emanated from the coloured sort, but spangled parents do not often produce spangled offspring. It has been noticed by breeders and writers^ that in crossing coloured Dorkings, the cockerels derive colour from the hen, and the pullets from that of the male bird, as is indeed, we believe, a natural law in the propagation of birds. The characteristics of the spangled cock are, light purple, tipped with black or brown ; the same hues on the back ; wings, rich dark brown, interspersed with black and white ; primary feathers in wing and tail white; hackle feathers, mineral green. The body plumage of the hen is principally grey, interspersed with white and brown. But there are subdivisions, according to Mr. Baily : — "Japan — Straw neck, hackle, and saddle; black breast, thighs, and tail. Hens, any grey to match. " Silver. — Same divisions of colour as in the Japan cock ; but the colour is exchanged for one approaching more nearly to white. Hens to match, slate-coloured body and hackle. " Pencilled. — Black and white, and breast tinged with red. , "Golden. — Cock's breast, thighs, and tail quite black; hackle, saddle, and neck red. Hens to match, dark brown, spotted with black. In these there should not be one white feather. "Red Speckle. — Cock, breast black and white; thighs black; hackle, saddle, and body red, speckled or intermixed with white, the prevailing colour being red. Hen, colour rich chocolate, spotted or splashed with wbite." The Muff Dorking is distinguished, as its name intimates, by a ruff or luxuriant breast ; this sort is not recognised as a pure variety, the muff being supposed to be some accidental appendage. The legs of the pure Dorking family are quite white, in both sexes. A blue leg would be inadmissible to a prize contest. The fifth or supernumerary toe is the peculiar THE DORKING. 05 mark distinctive of the whole breed under consideration, which variety is termed by Buffon Coq h cinq doiqts; and, according to his observation, exhibiting individual instances of six toes. Yet this can only be considered a rudimental toCj according Mr. Macgillivray (the most scientific orni- thologist of our country), who says that birds have never more than four toes, unless the spur be considered such. Both the male and female birds have this peculiarity. Though the Creator has not designed anything without its appropriate purpose, this additional member must rather be deemed a distinctive than a useful one, just as the absence of a tail, or the colour and size of a comb may distinguish an individual race of fowls. These over-furnished claws have been de- nounced as sources of danger and annoyance to young chicks when first issuing from tfie shell, rendering the mother's movements hazardous to ttiem. "They frequently trample to death their chicks cturmg the process of hatching, and in a small coop they demolish them at a fearful rate." The Dorkings, though admirable sitters and nurses, have thus been objected to as mothers, on account of the accidents which the peculiar formation of their claws may produce ; and a gentleman has expressed to Mr. Dixon his opinion, that they never should be cooped with their chickens, and that a safer course would be to hatch the eggs under a mother of less rough physique ; but Mr. Dixon very perti- nently 'asks, how the. hen is to be employed when the sitting fit comes on, for they are persevering sitters. We have never seen the dangers realized ; and since neither worrying, nor whipping, nor fettering, nor physicking, nor the applica- tion of the douche, or the cold shower-bath, will subdue the natural instinct to sit, they should be allowed to follow theit instinct, and incubate in peace. Besides, such barbarous and unnatural restraints would be intolerable in our tree 0« DOMESTIC POULTRY. country, where the matronly rights and privileges of our ieinale fowls, whether blacks or whites, of all shades ana complexions, must be respected. And such casualties, more- over, have not occurred within our own limited range of observation, nor are we discouraged, from dread of such experiences, to persevere in keeping unmixed (coloured) Dorkings, in preference to any other species of poultry, while we aim at practical benefit in the family economy, rather than the indulgence of a fanciful and capricious taste. Nor would we mutilate the clarw by lopping off the offending excrescence, either from the delusion of improving upon the work of the Creator, who, when he had summoned into existence every " winged fowl after his kind," saw that it was good, or from the whimsical, and not entirely humane, suggestion which a correspondent of the Agricultural Gazette has recommended for marking poultry, so that they shall not be stolen without the danger of detectioQ. The probability is, that this appa- rently superfluous membrane would, if subjected to the scientific analysis of such men as Lord Brougham and Sir Charles Bell, be foand to subserve some good design — though ordinary mortals may not have discovered it, nor perhaps have sought its purpose with careful research. The Dorkings are among the heaviest of our fowls when fat, as their frame-work is not of that lengthy, incompact structure which it is so difficult to fill up with flesh and fat ; they much sooner become tempting figures for trussing and skewering than other fowls. The prize list will show that the Dorkings attain consider- able weight ; many cocks and hens have weighed respectively from eight to ten pounds, live weight ; and no bird is better formed, or has more aptitude for fattening when rendered capons, than this variety of fowls, which will attain eight or nine pounds. A young hen in our yard at nresent, and only just moulted, weighs seven pounds. o €\t 'Makuh. QaUva Patamima, Linnteua ; Le coq de Caux,* ou de Padoue, Buffon ; Paduan cocTc, Willughby.+ All the crested kinds seem to have had a common origin. The genealogy of the Polands, however, has not been satisfac- torily traced to its original. All that we know of them may be collated thus: — Aldrovandus, an Italian, who wrote in Latin about 260 years ago, gave two rude woodcuts on folio pages, intended to represent the Patavinian or Paduan breed, which he describes, and which it has been conjectured are true types of the Polands : — " There are kinds of the galli- naceous order larger than ours, which are commonly called Patavinians. We present the pictures of the male and female. The cock is exceedingly beautiful, being richly decorated with five colours, viz., black, white, green, red, and ochre ; but the body was black, the neck was covered with perfectly white feathers, and the wings and back were partly black, and partly green j the tail, also, was of the same hue, but the bases of the wings were whitish ; some of the flight feathers were white in the higher parts; a red circle surroimded the eyes ; the comb was very small ; the * A district of Normandy under the old regime, t Latham's " General History of Birds," vol. viii. p. 196. Q 98 DOMESTIC POULTRY. bill and feet yellowish. In the hen there was no white, except the usually white pellicle at the orifice of the ears ; she was altogether of a greenish black ; the feet light yellow ; the comb very small, and slightly tinged with red."* He also says that the plumage of the cock will now and then assume a golden hue. PADTJAN COCK.— {From Aldrovemdi) Commenting on this description, Willughby says that Aldro- vandus describes a Paduan cock and hen which ought rather to be called a Pulverara, from a village near Padua where they * Aldrovandus, " De GaJlinis PataTOua," cap. i. THE POLANDS. £9 are found,; but they differ in no part from the common fowl, except in being larger and finer. It is remarkable that one of these birds has a beard or muff, and that the other is without it, a circumstance which might lead us to suppose that they are types of two different races. PADTTAN "HEN.— {Front AUrovamdi.) Our artist has drawn these likenesses of the birds, on a very reduced scale from that of the gigantic originals. They bear such strong resemblance to our Polands, as to render their identity very probable. a2 100 DOMESTIC POXJLTEy. Whence did the Paduans come ? Cuvier says that the Paduan cock or Gallus Patavinus is a variety or descen- dant of the Javan cock {Gallus Giganteus) described by Temminck. Now, though we may dismiss Aldrovandi as uncertain autho- rity, as he deals more in the anatomy of birds and their uses or adaptations, than in their natural history, and in the medical and surgical treatment of them, bringing fables to his aid, Cuvier and Latham are to be respected, and they seem to consider the Polands as branches of the Javan family. Let Buffon now speak: — "The distinguishing character of this fowl (the Paduan) is its great size. It has fre- quently a double comb, shaped like a crown, and a tuft, which is more marked in the hen. Their voice is stronger, deeper-toned, and rather harsher, and their weight is from eight to ten pounds, so that they appear to have sprung from that beautiful race the large cock of Rhodes, Persia, and Pegu, in the warm countries of Asia, considered as the original stock of all the fowls of these countries. But as there is no wild cock perfectly resembling our domesticated sorts, we cannot tell to what race or varieties we are to ascribe their origin. * * * But of the six, to which we may reduce the race of our common fowl, three owe their peculiarities to the influence which the climates of Hamburgh, Turkey, and England (and perhaps to a fourth and fifth country), for the Caux fowl has come in all proba- bility from Italy, since this is also called the Paduan."* The origin of the Poland fowls is not satisfactorily deter- mined. They may have been first imported here from Poland, as an intermediate country, but more probably from Holland. A plausible reason assigned for the name of Poland, is the faudful resemblance in form between their crest and the * Buffon "Kat. Hist.," " Omithologie Complete," par C. S. Sonnini. THE POLANDS. 101 military cap of the Polish soldier. The clipping of this crest has been recommended, but this appears unnatural and need- less, unless it should decidedly obstruct their vision by hanging over the eyes. Temminck, a great authority, has pronounced that they have descended from the wild gigantic cock of St. Jago, a native of Java and Sumatra. Marsden relates that he saw a cock of that breed in Sumatra, which was tall enough to pick crumbs from a dining-table. This must have been, we suspect, a nursery-table, for the weight of the bird is stated to be only eight or ten pounds, which Cochin-China fowls of no extraordinary size weigh ; and we have seen none of these tall enough to wait at a usually sized dinner-table. The large-size cock of Sumatra, in the Edin- bargh Museum, is not much above two feet four inches ;* but the plumage of this bird is variegated with pale golden-red, chestnut brown, yellow and glossy blackish, and iridescent green, which are very dissimilar from the hues of the Polands ; and though there is a tufted crest of feathers, it wants so many of the marks and tokens of the Polands, that these cannot boast of their descent from such a brilliant ancestor with any strong probabilities. South America, where crested fowls are said to abound, has also been assigned as the birth- place of the Polands. Mr. Baily thus describes the general characteristics of the Polands in his treatise on fowls. " The crest of the cock is composed of straight feathers, something like those of a hackle, or saddle ; they grow from the centre of the crown, and fall over outside, forming a circular crest. That of the ten is made up of feathers growing out and turning in at the extremities, till they form a large top-knot, which should in shape resemble a cauliflower. The comb of the cock is peculiar, inasmuch as it is very small, scarcely any • Sir William Jardine. 102 DOMESTIC POULTRY. on the top of the headj and having in front two small spirals or fleshy horns. The carriage is upright, and the hreast more protuberant than in any other fowl, save the Sebright bantam. The body is very round and full, slightly tapering to the tail, which is carried erect, and which is ample spreading towards the extremity in the hen, and having well- defined sickle feathers in the cock. The legs should be lead- colour or black, and rather short than otherwise." A breed of White Polands with black tops, wjbich must have been beautiful, has long been extinct. It was described by Aldrovandi ; and known in France when Buffon wrote. Perhaps the enthusiasm and perseverance of poultry amateurs will effect their re-appearance by importations from Asia, or by experimental crossing. The varieties among us are the Black; the Golden Spangled ; and the Silver Spangled. Black Polands. — Cock: body, neck, and tail, black, with me- tallic tints of green ; crest, white, with a few black feathers at the base of the bill ; comb, very small, consisting only of two or three spikes ; large wattles, bright red ; ear lobe, white ; the skull, instead of being flat as in other varieties, has a fleshy protuberance or round knob. Hen : the same colours ; wattles smaller than those of the cock ; in other points the same. Golden Rankled. — Cock : ground colour, very bright ochre yellow, black spangles, which, in a particular light, have a beautiful greenish tint ; crest, chestnut, with a few white feathers; black beard ; comb and wattles small ; hackle and saddle feathers, golden yellow ; thigh, generally black, but some specimens have them spangled ; sickle feathers, dark brown and very large, the smaller side ones lighter in the colours, and bea,utifully faced with black ; legs, slate colour. Hens : general colours the same ; breast, neck, and back, spangled ; tail and wing feathers, laced. THE POLANDS. 103 Silver Spangled. — The only difference between this variety and the preceding one is in the ground, which ia a beautiful silver white. Mr. Dixon sums up his description of them thus : — " They may certainly be ranked as the choicest of fowls, whether we consider their beauty or variety. A variety has been pro- duced of a dun-coloured ground ; and another, not however ■ established, with a globe-shaped white creit." The cock of each of the above sorts should weigh about five pounds, and the hen four pounds. As to beards in the span- gled varieties, there are differences of taste among amateurs. Who shall decide ? A discussion of this kind, which is truly a splitting of hairs, carries with it the air of the ridiculous. It reminds us of the Big-endians and Little-endians in Lilliput. The silver variety, says Mr. Dixon, will sometimes make its appearance among the golden sort, as from the Black Polish beautiful white chicks occasionally proceed, which albinos are much too delicate to serve as the stock of a separate breed. Another variety also has rather recently been raised, which obtained, a prize at a Poultry Exhibition in the Zoological Gardens, but of which we have not yet obtained an accurate description. There are sub-varieties of the Polands, but they are as yet little known, and not noticed at all in Mr. Baily's treatise ; this omission indicates their obscurity or worthlessness, or both. A slatey dun-coloured kind is possessed by some breeders, but we have no farther particulars of it, than that the plumage is of a uniform shade. The Polands are excellent layers of perfectly white and moderately-sized eggs, much pointed at the smaller end. As to their nursing dispositions, Mowbray says, that though one of the most useful kinds on account of the abundance of eggs they lay, which has entitled them to the appeUation 104 DOMESTIC POULTEY. of "everlasting layers," they are less inclined to sit than any other breed. But Dixon says, that when they sit they acquit themselves respectably. This, however, is faint praise ; and altogether it is judicious to put their eggs under other nurses. The chicks of both sexes, which are hardly distinguishable for many weeks, are very ornamental. The male bird is first distinguished by the tail remaining depressed, awaiting the growth of the sickle feathers, whereas the female carries it uprightly from the first ; also, the top- knot in the cockerels hangs more backward than in the puUets.* And this curious physiological fact is noticed by the same critical and intelligent writer; viz., the Golden Polish cock engenders as true Silver chicks (and those stronger) with the Silver hen, as the Silver Polish cock would. , The beard which is often seen on the Gold and Silver Polands, has given rise to some discussion. As an appendage, indeed, to the females, we may undoubtedly pronounce it disfiguring and unfeminiue, and we are disposed to consider it a mark of low-breeding; but whether this be so or not, we cannot venture to determine. Mr. Baker, of Chelsea, of undoubted experience, says that the thorough -bred Golden or Silver Poland is without this beard ; but Dr. Horner, of Hull, a writer in the " Agricultural Gazette," asserts that on the continent all the pure Polands of both sexes have beards ; and his own experience, he says, confirms this. He imported several Polands from the continent, and found the beardless miserably inferior to the bearded ones, in carriage, plumage, and shape; their top-knots comparatively small, necks mea- gre, and their gait undignified ; and altogether so deficient that he could have selected the bearded from the beardless, even if their throats were concealed. This gentleman, who * Dixon, THE POLANDS. 105 is possessed of bot'h sorts^ maintains that the beard of tlie varieties under consideration is a natural, and (in them) a becoming appendage, suiting admirably with the top-knot, the full and lengthened neck, and flowing hackles. Dr. Horner conjectures that the beardless is a mongrel between the Poland and the Spangled Hamburgh. In this point, however, we may observe there is now before us a hybrid between a Golden Poland and the Golden Pencilled Hamburgh, and that this hybrid has a beard. It has the rose comb of the Hamburgh, and the top-knot of the Poland. The parent cock, we believe, was a Hamburgh, and the hen a bearded Poland. His observation that a thorough-bred bearded Poland always produces a bearded progeny, may be correct; and the case we have just mentioned tends to corroborate it, as the beard of the parent hen has been transmitted to the off- spring of another and a beardless tribe. In further proof of his opinion that beardless Polands are a mongrel breed. Dr. Horner says, that not a few of the cocks bred from beardless Silver Polands, have the rose comb of the Silver Spangled Hamburghs. He further states, that his crossing of bearded with beardless Polands, cock with hen, and hen with cock, has, in a great majority of cases, produced a very degenerate progeny, with small top-knots, thin necks, and other deficiencies. It is remarkable that one of Aldrovandi^s pair has this beard, and the other is without it ; but it is not certain that they represent Polands, or that they themselves were of the same tribe, therefore nothing can be concluded decisively from these types. Now, Mr. Dixon condemns the beard as a decided mark of impure blood, and great disfigurement, and he appears to infer that where the beard appears, it is an evidence of a cross with some variety of the Hamburghs; and he notices 106 DOMESTIC POULTRY. the figure of a cock of a peculiar breed, which is brought from Hamburghj with a top-knot^ beard, and whiskers. He says, " It is a frightful appendage, and not easily got rid of if once introduced into a poultry-yard, which makes me sus- pect either that the original Pohsh were beardless, or that there were two ancient races." If it be a fact, according to Mowbray, that the imported Polands have been uniformly black, the coloiired varieties of the tribe which we possess must have been produced by cross- ings, either accidental or designed, with some other races. And if, according to the sentiment of M. Eeaumur, en- thusiastic florists — we would instance those especially who are affectedby the mania of propagating the briefly-flowering tulip, and who procure it but for a few days by anxious solicitude continued through a whole year — are so much affected by the varieties of colours in their favourite flowers, how much more pleasure is the poultry-yard capable of affording to persons who have taste and sensibilities for the admiration of fine combinations of colours, which may be constantly contem- plated ! May we not compare the former to the evanescence of the prismatic tints of a rainbow, which are exhibited for a few moments, and then dissolve away, like the painted scenery of a diorama? M. Reaumur relates ^ curious case of a hen which had the predominating hue of one of our ordinary Polands. She had become almost black, with a few white spots, from a previous reddish brown; after the second moulting, black prevailed through the entire plumage ; but after the next moulting the black spots entirely disappeared, and the hen became perfectly white. As she was then ten years old, the blanching of the plumage might have been attributed to old age, as it whitens the human hair; but in that case, says Reaumur, the transi- tion from the ruddy to the black ought not to have been as it was, through the white. Whether his expectation that the THE POLANDS. 107 old dame might again change her colour, if she lived, to brown or black, was realized or not, we are not told* The same acute observer makes interesting remarks on a cock, which, during five successive moultings, changed his colours, from brown and whitish to uniform black, and then to uniform white, and afterwards to variegated brown hues ; from which it would follow that the whiteness was not the result of old age. So many changes of dress had this cock assumed, that his master, on one occasion, did not know him after an absence of two months. If it be true that the imported Polands have been Uniformly black, the coloured varieties which we have, must have been produced by cross-breeding with other tribes in this country. All the crested kinds seem to have had a common origin ; and crossing must have produced, besides the three generally recognised sorts of Polands, above noticed in detail, the blue Poland, and any others prized for their ornamental head- dress. "Where several sorts are kept in the same poultry-yard, it is difficult to prevent their intermingling, which produces patched and piebald offspring. The crest, however, the glory par excellence of the Polands, can never come amiss. Mow- bray says, that when it is too large, and falls over the eyes of the bird, so as to render it liable to sudden alarm, it ought to be clipped. The more marked contrast between the colour of the top- knot and plumage, the more attractive the bird. A white top-knot on a black ground, and the reverse order — hardly procurable, however, in the Polish breed — is beautiful. The black top-knot on the white ground is, we fear, lost. The Lark-crested fowls, though, not identical vrith the Polands, may, in compliment to their top-knots, be inciden- * See BosweU's " Poultty-Yard." 108 DOMESTIC POULTRY. tally noticed here. They have sometimes, by mistake in the heraldry office of poultry, been confounded with the others as of the same family, which they are not, though using similar crests. Mr. Dixon, our favourite authority, distinguishes the Lark-crested from the Polands by the former having an occipital crest, the latter more of a frontal one ; which in plain words, for our non-anatomical readers, means that in the former breed the crest is towards the back part of the head, and in the latter, more towards the forehead. In the Lark-crested, he says, a single upright comb sometimes almost entirely takes the place of the crest. The white variety he pronounces to be in every way preferable to the White Dork- ings, and very pretty when rambling about the homestead ; and not only this, but what appears indeed an excellence to dealers in poultry, an old bird of this kind, properly trussed, will look as delicate and clear in the skin and flesh as an ordinary chicken. As he avoids direct allusion to the tooth test, we must infer that the flesh of an old fowl of this family is as tough as that of others. The hens have less distinguished crests, and are sometimes condemned to wear but half a dozen feathers in their head-dress. Their merits as layers and mothers, more than their crests, and general neatness of appearance, render them favourites with poultry housewives. There are, no doubt, many mongrels descended from the Polands or Paduans. The merits and demerits of the Polands are fairly stated by the same observant author. We shall give an abstract of his remarks : — Their flesh is excellent, being white, tender, and juicy. Without any cross-breeding, they will occasionally produce white stock, which is pretty (and through which, we suppose, the almost extinct kind might be recovered). As aviary birds,* they are unrivalled, and their plumage, when minutely * We vainly searched for them, however, in the Zoological Gardens, Begent'a Park. \ THE POLANDS. 109 examined, exhibits much beauty, which would probably be increased by the confinement of a handsome brood on the aviary system, in the course of which the successive moult- ings would improve. During three or four years the cocks in particular increase in size, hardihood, and beauty, differing in this from fowls generally, which advance much more rapidly to their highest points of perfection, but from which they fall away with corresponding rapidity. Several experienced breeders of the Polands certainly consider them as extremely tender, and so difficult to rear that the eggs should not be set before the middle or latter end of April, even in the most favourable districts, as dampness is fatal to them while very young. .Mr. Baily suggests a precaution and mode for detecting deformity of back, to which the Polands are prone : to lay the palm of the right hand flat on the bird's back, by which any irregularity of either hip, or a curve in the back-bone from the hips to the tail, will be detected. Besides a little pepper mixed in scalded water with their chopped eggs or barley meal, chamber lye for a few days is recommended by one of our valued correspondents, as a resto- rative for the chicks if they droop. They should be kept under cover in a barn or other outhouse for six weeks: If they live to be adults, no fowls are more hardy or pro- fitable as layers, or more delicious for the table. As the Polands are so frequently seen in our poultry- yards, it may be inferred that they have more good qualities than some of our friends have attributed to them. Their demerits, as we collect, are few, and of no serious importance. They are, however, not suited to dirty farmyards, " becoming blind and miserable with dirt," and they require a clean and grassy place (so do all the gallinaceous tribe), in which their feathers will not be drabbled. They do not lay 110 DOMESTIC POULTRY. qmte so early in tte year as other tribesj and are not suited for the offices of mothers and nurses, from their great disposition to lay ; and when they do sit, they are rather unsteady and perverse. Now these objections may be dis- missed, because there is nothing to prevent the substitution of proxies for hatching of a more operative class ; and if the Polish hens and pullets themselves in the mean time lay eggs, there is no loss in an economical point of view. We have good practical authority for stating that the critical period of their lives is from the second to the sixth month. A black Poland hen is reported to have laid a hundred eggs, with little intermission, and then to have hatched and nursed a brood, and subsequently to have laid twenty-five eggs before the moulting season. Of the Golden Polands, Mr. Dixon further states, many make excellent mothers, though they do not always sit early in the year; and that the Silver acquit themselves respectably when they sit. This is not saying much for them; and, on the whole, it is better to leave the hatching to hens of a more established character for that interesting employment. To the musical ear — we still refer to the agreeable origi- nalities of our most valued author — ^the crow of the Poland may not be melodious ; yet they are not harsher than those of some other races which come from the land of song and music — for instance, the Andalusian, which might be suppose^r to bring harmony with them. In truth, the Poland crowing is not " that of the noble Cochin China — deep-toned, mellow, and prolonged, like that of the closing note of an accom- plished singer." If we pursue our fascinating guide farther at present in this strain, we shall imagine ourselves musical, and like the crow in the fable, pique ourselves on possessing the voice of a nightingale. May we not trace the Poland race from the large cock of THE POLANDS. Ill Rhodes, Persia, and Pegu, and from the large hens of Bahia, which do not begin to get their covering of feathers until they have attained half their size ? The Caux chickens, or Paduans of Buffon, are slower in feathering than common chickens, and this is characteristic of the Polands. But it must be remarked, that a great number of birds spoken of by travellers under the name of cock or hen, are of entirely different races ; and amidst so many, how shall we discover any primitive stock? So many circumstances have exercised influence on those varieties, so many fortuitous occurrences have concurred to produce them, even the care, and even the whims of mankind have so multiplied them, that it would be very difficult to arrive at their first origin, and to recognise in our pouItry-yards,Nature's fowl or even the fowl of our climate. The wild cocks found in the warm countries of Asia, may be considered as the original stock of all fowls in every country ; but as there does not exist in our temperate countries any wild bird perfectly resembling our domesticated fowls, we cannot tell what race or variety to consider the primitive one. The Caux fowls are, according to Buffon, above the size of ordinary fowls. The Caux breed of fowls probably comes from Italy, since it is also called the Paduan fowl. We may consider the common and the crested cock as the natural races of our country : but in these two kinds, the hens and cocks are equally of all colours ; the fixed character of the crested should indicate perfection in that race, that is, that it has been more carefully bred and reared. Though this is not satisfactory as to proving that the Polands are Paduans, it shows that .this great naturahst considered that the crest was a distinguishing mark of aristocracy. He considers, too, that the white fowl is the first of its species, the black intermediate, and then coloured varieties. The white or more primitive sort of the Poland 112 DOMESTIC POITLTRT. is gone — we have the hlack and coloured ones. Degenerate tribes are perpetually arising from the Poland aa from otner distinguished gallinaceous families. The tufted fowl differs from the common sort only in having a tuft of feathers rising from the head, and generally a small comb, which may be accounted for by assuming that the tuft is nourished at the expense of the comb. More care has been bestowed in the breeding of the tufted race, than in that of any other sort ; and numerous distinctions have been pointed out, especially in the plumage of this breed, according to which a multitude of sub-varieties has been named, and prized as the colours are rare or common; namely, the golden and silvered, the white with a black, and the black with a white tuft. Buffon enumerates, after the foregoing remarks, of which we give the substance, at least ten supposed kinds, but with the judicious doubt whether they were sufficiently established to be considered real varieties. The correctness of his judgment has been proved by experience. ■ g'O'ggJ'g..''^ - •A o %\t Pakg Jf^W. It is impossitle to trace the fowls which we call Malays, and their sub-varieties, to any particular type of those Indian aboriginals from which we believe that the races to be de- scribed under the above head have been derived. Not- withstanding some testimony published by the Zoological Society, to the effect that many of the domestic fowls of the Indians are hardly distinguishable from the Gallus Sonneratii (found by Sonnerat in the jungles of India), we cannot venture to consider it with any great probability as the original of the Malay races familiar to us in this country. There is another wild species which the Malays of Java call Ayam-alas, distinguished particularly by its forked tail ^the Gallus furcatus of Temminck), quite distinct from their Ayam Bankiva, and from Ay am, which is their name for the tame cock. As this sort will pair at times with the domes- ticated hen, it is easy to understand how many varieties of fowls may exist in that part of Asia, and how difficult it. is for us to ascertain what breeds of Malays, or so-called Malays, we possess. Though the laws of capricious fancy may dictate a certain plumage as that which alone can stamp high and pure breed- ing, the fact we believe is, that there is such a variety of colours in these birds, excepting the entirely black and the perfectly white, that it is very difficult in many cases to say whether individuals of the variegated kinds, asserted to be 114 DOMESTIC POULTRY. Malays, have a clear right to this distinctive designation. The hlack Malays have something of the air of the Spanish; and the white, with their yellow legs, have a genteel look, indicating good breeding. Formerly the Malays were an esteemed and fashionable breed; their slim and stately form, however really inferior to that of the game fowl, rendered them favourites, until, in the spirit of that progress which gives such character to the present times, better sorts of fowls have been introduced, combining real utility with beauty, symmetrical form, and handsome plumage. The Malay race is, however, still a favourite with many breeders, and good judges, too, both in England and Ireland. In the latter country, Mr. Nolan has been distinguished as a successful breeder of these fowls, which he produced, in the first instance, direct from their native country, and which, according to his statement, have been "the progenitors of all the fine Malays he has since dispersed through Great Britain and Ireland." His first pair were reddish yellow. The Malay Cock is tall, about twenty-seven inches in height, and very erect, by no means of robust form, yet not wanting in weight ; the comb not extending the whole length of the head and small, but from its breadth and apparently compressed flatness, appearing as if originally double, but arti- ficially flattened down ; wattles insignificant ; the bill (which is a little hooked) and legs yeUow, the latter being quite free from feathery hair or flush, and exhibiting, like the game breed, cross streaks of a dark colour along the legs and toes ; hackles red and orange ;* wing coverts lustrous brownish black; flight feathers occasionally exhibiting spots of white on the outward web of the quills; belly, thighs, black also; sickle feathers (which are rather short), dark glossy green. Yet the colours of Mr. Ballance's cockf * DizoD. t Ttis bird weighed eleven pounds three CLuarterfc THE MALAY. 115 exhibited at Birmingham, where a prize was awarded to it, has a different plumage, if, as is probable, it corre- sponds in colours with those which are stated in a recent work, to be characteristic of this breed, which is so varied in plumage,- viz., dark chestnut or Vandyke brown, approaching to black on the breast and back, with hackles of brilliant maroon on the upper side, and yellowish tint underneath. Mr. Ballance has described some peculiarities of the race thus : — " The feathers of the neck do not become more ample and longer as they approach the shoulder; con- sequently the long neck appears of the same diameter at the shoulders as it does at the throat. This contrasts it remark- ably with the game and all other breeds of our fowls." He had cocks two feet nine inches in height, and measuring, from the point of the toe-nail of the middle toe, to the point of the toe-nail of the hinder one, six inches and a quarter. The Malay Hen. — The plumage which in the male is almost black, has in the hen more of a dark brown shade, and the lower parts are generally of a lighter hue ; the same uncommon style of comb, on a small head ; long neck, with the feathers of uniform length as in the male ; the tail feathers five on each side; stately carriage. The Malays are not to be recommended in preference to those races to which prece deuce has been given in this work ; nor have they any just pretensions to preference: their length of body and legs renders them undesirable for the spit ; they are of delicate constitution in youth, described by one* familiar with their peculiarities, as born strong, but half-naked, and therefore very susceptible of cold and wet, when they are one-third grown, the increase of their bodies so much outstripping that of their feathers. If propagated at all, * DizoD. H 2 116 DOMESTIC POULTET. then, they shoiild be hatched early, to he fully fledged before the frequent Midsummer rains. The flesh, too, has been much condemned, as strin°;y and ill-flavoured, and unpleas- ing at table from its yellowness of skin; but other very fine-flavoured fowls are also repulsive in this respect. The eggs are rich and well sized, and the hens lay and sit steadily ; but as they are not shaped for sitting, they should be rejected for this service. They require much food.* Mr. Baily says that the plumage of the Malay should be so hard as to feel as if it were but one feather, and that the original colours of the cock were a bright rich, red, with black breast ; and of the hen, cinnamon, either of one uniform shade or darker in the hackles. He alludes also to a former breed of Malays coloured like some of the game tribes; such, we fancy, as the coloured heu Malay in an edition of Mow- bray : the cock in his plate is represented with neck hackles, body plumage, and wings, of dark purple, except an edging of white on the outer side of the quill feathers, and at the base of the neck hackles. Light-coloured Malays are not uncommon — and of these Mr. Sayer, elsewhere referred to, has some of cream-colour, which, contrasting with his red and white varieties, has a very pleasing effect in the general grouping. Our artist, we think, has succeeded in giving to the eye the angry and fierce expression which marks the Malay tribe, and shows tjieir affinity with the pugnacious game race. Even the hens have as haughty a demeanour as that of the male bird, and are suspected of being, at times, peevish and turbulent. Though it may, perhaps, appear very strange at first sight to * It 13 to te remarked, however, that the Malays which were awarded the first prize at the London Summer Poultry Show this year, were bred with many others, in a town-yard fifteen feet square ; proving, that with legs formed for rambling, they can bear confinement well. THE MALAY. 117 suppose that the quiet and pacific Cocliin-Cliina and Brahma- pootra families, which are so much stouter of Umb and larger of body, and so comparatively inactive, have descended from one or other of the great Asiatic jungle fowls, from which the Malays, and all their varieties, including the game breeds, have no doubt proceeded, we perceive a family like- ness between the ]\Ialay and the Cochin-China races ; the small, serpent head and long neck are remarkable in each. And this our impression has received greater confirmation from seeing a statement of Mr. Baily, to the eS'ect that he would undertake to produce Brahma-pootras by pairing a INIalay hen with a white Cochin-China cock. How the Cochins have acquired so much fluff about their legs and toes, which their supposed first parents had not, to our knowledge, is a little difficult of explanation. Certainly, we are not satisfied with the reason assigned by Buffon, that excess of nourishment may produce, in such instance, feathers in the legs and toes, as in other cases the juices of the body are expended in ornamenting the head with a tuft or hood. According to Temminck's theory, even our common cock, with its varieties, the Poland's crested tribe generally, the Bantams, the Dorkings, has sprung from one or other of two Asiatic aboriginals. We cannot hesitate in claiming an identical ancestry for the Malays, and classing them along with the Cochin-China and its kindred tribe, the Brahma-pootra. In an interesting notice of this newly-imported kind, recently published in The Field, it has been thus observed : — " It bears so little resemblance to the Cochin-China fowl, that grey Shanghae appears to be scarcely an appropriate name tp apply to it ; we might as well call it a grey Malay. In size, and in the feathered legs, it is like the Cochin-China; but in carriage, it rather resembles the Malay. Again, it has the peaceable and docile disposition of the Chinese breed ; we have never heard of its showing the quarrelsome 118 DOMESTIC POTJLTEY. temper of the Malay, which would certainly appear if it had a partially Malay origin." Now, we venture to differ from our contemporary in the opinion he has expressed, and are disposed to class this family of fowls with the Shanghae trihe; hut, considering both as having proceeded equally with the Malays from the same Asiatic original, we present their portraits here as family pictures, and not out of place, though their family history will be postponed until there shall be occasion for republishing that of their decided con- geners, as we consider them, the Cochin-Chinas, as the best known, and most numerous and important branch of a distinguished race ; they certainly have the form of neck and head which the Malays possess. Mr. Nolan, to whom we have alluded as an experienced propagator of poultry, and to whom Ireland is deeply indebted for the practical good he has effected in im- proving the breed of them generally there, has written a letter to the editor of The Field, which harmonizes with our convictions : — '"There are but two lots of Mr. Burnham's Brahma-pootras yet in Europe ; he says the parent stock were imported direct from Shanghae (China), and he presented nine of their produce to the Queen. I am in pos- session of four from the same gentleman, which I imported from him, at considerable outlay, for my own gratification and public good. And why they should be, by some persons, 'torn to tatters, to very rags,' not even sparing those in possession of royalty, seems, to an Irishman, ungallant and unwarrantable. I admit, that some persons are ingeniously manufacturing birds to resemble them, from yellow pullets and grey cocks, but that is an imposition easily detected. I do assert, from my own experience, that the true grey Shanghaes, or Brahma-pootra fowls, are not only a distinct variety, but, from their large size, and unusually large-sized egg, beauty of plumage, and graceful deportment, they are THE MALAY. 119 superior to anything before in our possession ; and T can Bio-w speak from experience, as to their chickens resembling the parent birds to a single feather : not so with the coloured Cochins J you will find various colours in the same clutch, and as to their being Brahma-pootras, grey Shanghaes, or any other name, that is merely splitting straws; it signifies little what they are called; the question is. Are they of utility ? My conscientious opinion is, that they are an improvement on anything we previously have had. Their skin is white and fine, their flesh white and juicy, and their eggs considerably larger than the Cochin's, and are laid in equal abundance." We have seen Her Majesty's birds, to which Mr. Nolan refers, and could not question, as far as appearances went, their identity, except in colour, with the ordinary Shanghaes ; but their grey plumage, with the points of the quill feathers edged with black, resembling the dark trimming of a lady's light-coloured robe, and falling away in the same style of curve, varied with streaks of black on the hackles, and the points of the tail black also, render them far more pleasing than the other sorts, whether of buff. Nankin, or cinnamon plumage. The head, as also in some instances the comb, and the general figure, certainly resemble those of- the Malay. And, as regards plumage, there are birds of the Malay and Shanghae families by whose union such colours would pro- bably soon appear.* But if, on the other hand, the test of like producing like for several generations should be success- fully afforded by the Brahma-pootras, other grounds must be sought for by those who would consign this alleged variety to the comparative ignominy of a hybrid origin. The cross- ing of Malays with other races has been tried with the view * At tie Farningham Poultry Show, held in June 1853, a cock and two hens, a cross between pure speckled Dorkings and Malays, and closely resembling Brahma-pootras, were exhibited. 120 DOMESTIC POTJLTEY. of improving the quality of their flesh. A large variety formerly known as Shackbags* a hybrid between the St. Jago and Dorkingj now extinct, was crossed with Malay hens, but the experiment did not succeed. In the same work, we find the points of similitude between the Malay and Brahma-pootra described. " The cock when drawn up to his full height, measures thirty inches; the head and eye have much of the Malay character ; the neck is full; the back is very short, and falling rapidly from the bottom of the neck to the insertion of the tail ; the thigh and shank long ; but the breast is very fairly developed, decidedly more so than in most Malay specimens." A cross, exhibited by Mr. Howard of Bedford, at the rarningham Poultry Show last summer, between a speckled Dorking and a Malay, bore strong resemblance to the Brahma-pootras. If these birds be compared with the Malays, the resemblance in the serpent form of the neck and head, and sometimes in the comb, will be at once recog- nised, though in aU other respects they so closely resemble the Shanghaes as to lead to the inference that they are varieties of them; both races having some Malay blood either remotely or recently infused. A cross between the Malay and the Shanghae may have produced them, though it is far more probable that they are Shanghaes, in which family we propose to place them in the revised edition of the first number now in the press. Malays are not desirable in the colder parts of the United Kingdom ; they require a dry and warm temperature more * This appellation is said to be a corruption of Shakebag, and to have origi- ated in a practice of making up game cook-fights without previous matching by weight and breed. The combatants were brought to the scratch in sacks by their owners, who speculated on the chances of victory for their respective champions without seeing the adverse ones. The bags were opened, shaken, and the duellists rushed at each other with or without equality of physical power as chance might have directed. THE MALAY. 121 than many other breeds, and also are unlimited to poultry- keepers wlio have limited space, either of house, yard, or pasture range : mere splendour of plumage, which high-bred Malays so eminently possess, ought not to tempt a sober- minded person to select them for ungenial localities, where the Dorking or the barn-door kinds would be far more appropriately kept. And as the chickens of this race, like their relations the Shanghaes, acquire their feathers very slowly, they ought not, even in our best domestic climates, to leave the shell before the commencement of summer tem- perature; nor to come into the world late in the season. Being of tall and imcompact form, and slow in attaining maturity, they require the best nourishment, and therefore, . for this reason, and their impatience of close confinement, they are unfit for the cottager. The Pheasant-Malay.— This name is perplexing. Some people imagine that this bird is a hybrid between the pheasant and the Malay fowl. But this is a great error, as the pheasant, properly so called, and the domesticated fowls, are different in species, though of the same genus : and, therefore, their hybrid progeny would be, according to a general law of nature, incapable, unless with rare exceptions, of propagating with the same family. But a crossing, that is, the union of one of such hybrids with another individual of a different and pure breed, would be productive of a new variety. The varieties of the pheasant have arisen in this way : a cock pheasant has paired with a poultry-yard hen ; a brood of hybrids is the consequence ; these birds, then, being mules, are incapable of reproducing amongst them- selves, but, by being paired with individuals of a different family, they may produce a new and good variety. Science and experience are most necessary to enable the breeder to multiply or improve varieties. These, however, are not rapidly and easily raised ; it is only by skilful attention to 122 DOMESTIC POULTET. the natural law, and by hybridisingj crossing, and recrossing kinds, that improved varieties of any domestic animals are propagated, just as in vegetable physiology gardeners raise such continually increasing varieties of flowers and fruits. It has been said and believed, in defiance of Nature's prohibitory law against such multiplication, that the union between the cock pheasant and common hens, kept in the neighbourhood of pheasant covers, has given origin to the Pheasant-Malay. Now, there is no doubt that such con- nections sometimes occur, when the pheasant is in a compara- tively tame or domesticated state, — for otherwise such a mesal- liance would not take place ; and German authorities state, that such hybrids are common in their country, and excellent for the table ; but they do not speak of the fertility of these hybrids. Indeed the assertion that such productions are frequent, is quite at variance with another dictum,* that, out of a hundred eggs of the hen after intercourse with the pheasant, it is rare to find more than two or three that produce chicks.. And suppose one of these fairly hatched, and even reared, its appearance is unprepossessing in the extreme, for, according to Mr. Baily, it has neither comb nor gills, and consequently has a very silly look. It has a tail feather, however, longer than that of a fowl, but not shaped hke that of a pheasant, and more upright. The colours he describes to be, in general, — back and wings, chocolate colour j breast, hackles, and tail, black ; legs, dark. Mr. Baily kept a male hybrid of this kind, stupid as it looked, and quite inferior both to pheasant and fowl, for two or three years with his hens ; and the only service this poor bird seemed capable of discharging, was patient attendance on the hens when they retired to lay ; his custom being to mount on the branch of a tree, while they were on the nest. After they left it, he sat upon the egg, and seemed very • See " Griffiths's Cuvier." THE MALAY. 123 unhappy when it was taken away. It does not appeal that the experiment was tried whether he would hatch a brood, for which service he showed such a commendable disposition. The description of this hybrid, be it remarked, does not at all correspond with that of the Pheasant-Malay, and affords some additional evidence against the idea that this fowl owes its origin to the pheasant parentage presumed for it by persons who have not studied the history of fowls, and the natural law which rules their multiplication. It can hardly be doubted that the Pheasant-Malay is a cross between the game cock and Malay ; but whether imported into, or originated in this country, is a question. The writer of an article, in a distinguished work, has expressed an opinion, that a hybrid between the pheasant and hen has succeeded. Commenting upon this, Mr. Dixon observes : — " The result of our inquiry is this, that hybrids between the pheasant and the fowl are^ for the most part, sterile ; that when they do breed, it is not with each other, but with the stock of one of their progenitors ; and that the offspring either fail altogether, or assimilate to one or other original type. No half-bred family is perpetuated ; no new breed created by human or volucrine agency." Buffon relates a case of an attempted sexual union, contrary to the inclinations of the parties — viz., a cock pheasant, and that of pullets, resembling the pheasant as much as possible, in colour and form, kept and fed near each other; but the cock, true and faithful to his tribe and people, or, rather faithful to nature, killed several of the females when they were introduced to him, and he could scarcely be controlled by touching his bill with a red-hot iron. However, in- genuity triumphed in some of the cases. This natm-alist was wrong, however, in adding, though on the authority of a royal gamekeeper in Erance, that the hens will not allow 124 DOMESTIC POULTET. wild cock pheasants to associate with them, for instances to the contrary are numerous and indisputahle. But here are marks and tokens, by which it will appear that the Pheasant-Malay is a distinct variety, and not owing its parentage to birds of a different species: — The hen of the Pheasant-Malay carries her tail in a particular upright and hen-like manner ; the cock has the curved and flowing feathers of the tail, and every other mark of true gallism. The Pheasant-Malay hen has semi-oval markings on the breast, and shining blue-black hackle on the neck, mixed with dark brown, which do bear some distant resemblance to the plumage of a cock pheasant, and might give rise to the false notion of her origin ; but a glance at the cock shows how nearly he is related to the game fowl ; a closer inspec- tion shows the affinity of both to the ordinary Malays." The Zoological Society has been referred to as possessing hybrids frequently bred by them between the cock pheasant* and the fowl, but the barrenness of these hybrids among themselves has been unequivocal. And though the male pheasant, even when wild, has been known to associate with with the hens of the poultry -yard : this is contrary to his natural character ; even the ring pheasants of China, in their native country, will not intermingle with the common ones. The Silk Cock is shaped like the Shanghae [Gallus Pha- sianus lanatus, Linn.); has the whole body, according to Latham, covered with feathers (or more properly with soft down), the webs of which are so separated as to appear like hairs on glossy silk. Its other known and often described peculiarities are precisely those given to us by a lady who for many years had what she considered the same breed; but called them under the name of Chittagongs. — They had been brought to her from India. * The silver pheasant is said to be more nearly than the other kinds animi- milated in. disposition, form, and constitution, to the fowl. THE MALAY. 125 They were of the usual size, of perfectly -white plumage, more like spun glass than feathers;* skin purplish, flesh white, the periosteum or membrane that covers the bone, dai'k purple ; comb small, and of rather purple hue ; hairy feathers extending even to the points of the toes; and the chicks were even born with it. In habits these birds were like the other fowls, but of such voracious appetites that they would eat until their crops were distended as if by disease ; nearly a cupful of wheat was taken from the craw of one which it was necessary to cut open in order to save the fowl from suffocation. The flavour was peculiarly good, the flesh rich, juicy, and mellow, to use her own description, and the eggs, which were of deep bufl' colour, most excellent. This lady had always been told that these birds (though answer- ing the preceding general description of the Silk bird) were Chittagongs ; and on the arrival of two gentlemen from India who visited her, and pronounced them to be true Chitta- gongs, she ceased to have any doubts (if, indeed, she had ever entertained them) on the subject. The flavour of this supposed Chittagong she considered more like that of the black cock than of common fowls. The Silky race is known over India, China, and Japan, but they are so scarce that the natives carry them about in cages, to sell them to the Europeans. The white sometimes breaks into dififerent colours, brown of all shades, for instance, but the legs are indelibly darker coloured, though not always feathered, nor furnished with spurs. We dispute, however, this fancied identity of any sort of the Silky fowl with the Chitta- gong, which is probably a distinct variety, shorter on the legs, larger in the body than the Malay, and having a thicker or less fine head : plumage speckled grey, and beak yellow. * But for this distinction we should have supposed them to be the white Malay, which, however, has some yellowish shade in the hackles. The darker birds are larger. The Chittagong pheasant of India is as large jts a turkey ; grey. 1^6 DOMESTIC POULTRY. We by no means, however, assert as certain that the last- described bird is the true Chittagong ; and we more espe- . cially disclaim the notion of pronouncing a dogmatical opinion on so doubtful a point, from perceiving that they are thus described in a contemporary work on poultry, by a writer who states that he has seen hundreds of them in the Indian bazaars. "The Chittagong, we are strongly of opinion, is a cross between the Malay and the Dorking ; they bear about them strong marks of their cross lineage. They are usually pencilled, or spangled grey in plumage ; but we have seen many with a mixture of yellow or brown upon the feathers ; they have the Malay head and expression of coun- tenance, but with more of the .ample breast of the Dorking, and their legs are somewhat white) but not rarely yellow." But this does not relieve our perplexity, for the question arises, — How did the Dorkings become a breeding stock in India ? It appears that one gentleman, known to have a very fine breed of Malays, was misled into the exhibition of some fowls as Chittagongs, as from the light hue of their colours, and the spangled breast plumage of the cock, he doubted their being what are more emphatically Malays, and designated them as Chittagongs. Thus difficulties affect the definition of what we vaguely term the Chittagong family. An American writes of " the Malay or Chittagong," — thus identifying them, — and describes them as usually brown or yellow, and sometimes almost black ; the weight he states to be enormous — as far as British experience of this bird goes — from eleven to twelve pounds. It would appear as if these were more properly of the Shanghae family, more particu- larly from the great weight mentioned, to which the Malays known as such in his country do not attain. Out of lists of the respective weights of various fowls furnished to Mr. Dixon by different individuals, it will appear THE MALAY. 127 that the Malay breeds, as distinguished from the Cochin- China sort, do not weigh nearly so heavy; for example, — lbs. 0Z3, Pheasant-Malay cock ....... 7 Ditto cockerel, five months old .... 7 Ditto hen 5 Ditto pullet, seventeen months old ... 5 3 Malay cock, sixteen months old ... 6 14 Ditto hen ditto 4 8 Pheasant-Malay cock , 5 7 Ditto Malay hen, moulting 3 8 The Negro Cock [Gallus Phasianus Nigris, Linn.) is pos- sibly another variety of the Malay; its combs, wattles, and the membrane that covers the bones, are black, and the plu- mage for the most part is of the same hue. The purplish colour of the legs in the Chittagong becomes a blackish violet in the Negro. This dark shade in the upper skin or epidermis, prevails in both, but it has a deeper tinge in the latter than in the former race. Writers are not unanimous in saying that the flesh is black. The membrane which covers the bones of the Chittagong we have stated to be purplish ; the transition to black in the other variety is probable : indeed, in some climates the negro fowl is called' the Bastard Silk fowl ; therefore, if we could assume the identity of the Chittagong and Silk fowls, it would appear that this Negro fowl is but a variety of them, and not a distinct species. The plumage of the Negro is indeed black with bronze reflections (and that of the Chittagong is, at least in one variety, white), but this diff'erence in colour is quite common, not only among varieties of the same species, but in the same families and the same broods from the same parents. In Her Majesty's aviary there are now some black and 128 DOMESTIC POULTRY. coloured CocMn-China fowls of the same brood ; therefore, such difference would go for nothing towards establishing the distinction of species, which Temminck and others are disposed to claim for them ; but they may be quite right in their opinion notwithstanding. Whether the Negro be or not, a separate species from the Chittagong or Malay, it is not desirable that its introduction into England should be rendered fashionable by our poultry- fanciers. A coal-black skin is not a very tempting envelope in Anglo-Saxon eyes for the flesh, however good this may be to the taste. Both sorts are met with in the provinces of Mozambique, in Africa, as well as in Malabar, Siam, and other Asiatic countries.* The Malabar Cock is another Indian race, sprung from one of the great originals we have noticed. These birds aie very large, with a plmnage similar to that of the British game cock, and with very long spurs. The march of this bird is quite a la militaire. These birds are procurable at Doob, in India. The cock measures two feet in length, and hardly differs in comb and wattles from the specimens of fowls with which we are familiar. The colours of the plu- mage and legs, without going into minute details, are yellow, which predominates, and shadings of ochre. Although the cock has the spur which may be called a badge of the game or fighting breeds, the hen is not disgraced by having this masculine appendage.f * On referringto Buffon, we find a curious notion expressed by him as to the causes of the perfect blackness of comb, wattles, skin, periosteum, and feathers frequently. He attributes the sable hue to the food of the birds. " We know," he says, " the effects of madder, milk, and curd, and that in England, the flesh of calves is rendered white by feeding them with farinaceous and other delicate food, which is found in the province of Bedford. It would be interesting, then, to observe at St. Jago, among the different substances on which these birds subsist, what is thai which renders the periosteum black."— f We are indebted for some of the foregoing matter to Latham's "General History of Birds." THE MALAY. 121 At a recent sale of a very large and noble collection, reared by A. C. Sayers, Esq., Clanville House, Hants, some very fine Malays were sold, which had on previous occasions gained prizes at various shows. One of these, a celebrated cock, named " Ramridge," of remarkably dark plumage, and now two years and a quarter old, has obtained four first prizes, and an extra one, and is probably the most perfect bird of his kind in the kingdom. We do not exactly know what his weight is, but it must be very considerable, judging from that of some hens of the same breed, reared and sold by the same owner. Two distinguished ones, named " Caroline" and " Henrietta," overloaded also with prize honours, and about the age of the cock, weigh respectively eight and a half pounds, and eight pounds, and another hen has attained the enormous weight of ten pounds, which is equal to that of any Shanghae hen. From a list of weights enumerated by Mr. A. "Whitaker, his two-year old Pheasant-Malay cocks averaged but seven pounds each, and hens about five pounds; and probably these will be found fair averages, and above the average of the Spanish. Mr. Sayers, thfen, must be allowed the credit 01 having greatly increased the size and importance of this breed, and if he perseveres in progressive improvement, we may have satisfactory evidence that there is neither boastful exaggeration, nor unintentional error, in the report of a Philadelphian gentleman, who has astounded the world, by declaring that he has, or had, a three-year old Malay hen weighing thirteen and a half pounds ; and that his good hens generally weigh from nine to ten pounds, and his cocks from eleven to twelve pounds. Now in this there is some- thing to stimulate the energies of our great poultry-breeders, lest they should be beaten. A singular habit has been observed in some of the Malay tribe, viz., that of taking a nap in the middle of the day, I 180 DOMESTIC POULTRY. after the fashion of human bipeds in some warm climates. It would not excite surprise in birds newly arrived &om » land where the fashion of indulging in a siesta prevails; but an instance has been given of a supposed breed of Malays, imported by Lord Powis, which, after many genera- tions naturalized in this country, retained and transmitted the habit. The instances of this, however, are not sufficiently numerous and specific to establish the fact that the Malays alone have it, and far less that it is really hereditary, or amounting to more than this, that in the noonday heat, if oppressive, fowls like to betake themselves to their roosts* Giving the most favourable consideration to their claims for selection as a breeding stock of full-sized fowls, and regarding their imperfections with the most indulgent for- bearance, we cannot give them a preference over the other fowls which have been already described by us in detail, and some of those which are to follow in our contemplated order. Their eggs do not average more in weight than those of the Shanghaes and the Spanish. In comparing the claims of the superior breeds, it would be unjust to withhold the following summary of the relative merits of the principal ones. ■" The greatest number of eggs in the year is laid by the Scotch Russian cross with any of the best common breeds j and the next greatest number is laid by the Dorking, the Poland, and the Spanish. The largest eggs are laid by thei Poland and the Spanish; the next largest by the Dorking. The finest-flavoured eggs are laid by the Game breeds, and by the speckled varieties of the common breeds. The flesh of the Game breeds, the Spanish, and the Dorking, is the most delicate; and that of the Malay is coarse and inferior." t The following table afi'ords a correct standard of the relative weight and heights of first-class specimens of tbe * See Dixon, p. 302. f Rwrai Cychpadia, edited by the Bev. John Wilson, THE MALAY. 131 most-pnzed birds ; by wHch it ■will oe seen that the Malays ni-e the tallest and the heaviest ; hut, " "lis not the biggest but the best Tve prize;" and the prize of excellence lies, no douot, between the first and second names on the list. lilTB WEIQBia ANP EslOHIS OS SHE MoST-rBIZED FOWLS. M ftTimnm . Shanghse Cock, full-grown „ Hen DoikiDg Cock „ Hen...., Spanish Cock „ Hen Halay Cock „ Hen Polish Cock „ Hen..... Game Cook ,, Hen Golden-Spangled Hamburgh Cock „ Hen Golden-Fencilled Hamburgh Cock „ Hen Bantam Cock... ,, Hen 12 lbs. lOJ 8 7 6 13 10 6 5 6 44 6 fii 5 ■i 20 oz. 15 Aretsge. 10 lbs. 7 8 61 6 6 10 8 6 5 5 i Si ^ 3i 16 oz. 14 Heigbt. 26 in. 22 22 16 22 19 28 20 21 18 20 15 18 15 17 14 14 12 Average Weight of EggB. 2ioz, 2j 3 24 2i 24 ^ 14 Note. — ^A Buff Shanghae cock was exhibited at the Cheltenham Poultry Show, in June, 1853, by Mr. Cattell, which weighed 13 lbs. 9 oz., and was stated to have weighed 14i lbs. a few weeks before. Mr. Fox (May, 1853) had in his possession fire Shanghae hens, weighing respectively 10 lbs. 8 oz. ; 9 lbs. 8oz. ; 10 lbs. 4 oz. ; 10 Iba. 4 oz. ; 9 lbs. 4 oz. — See *' Cottage Gardener," Ko. 242,. I i isa DOMEsno poultry. THE FEIZZLED COCK. This tribe cannot be properly ranked among the family of Malays at all; but as it is from the same part of the Eastern World, and may have derived some portion of blood from the same original stock, though the gradation of lineage be untraceable, we name it here. It is found in Java and all Southern Asia, and is remarkable from having the feathers reversed and curled outwards. Mr. Nolan gives the hens an excellent character, as hatchers of the Game Fowls, Pheasants, Partridges, Grouse, Black-cock, and Ptarmigan; and as of very hardy constitution, and there- fore very easily reared. The chickens, though apparently half-naked, have a downy covering under their growing feathers, which serves the purpose of a close-fitting flannel waistcoat next the skin, and keeps them warm, though the outwRrd clothing of feathers be of thin and open texture. The cock weighs about six pounds, and stands eighteen inches high; and the hen is nearly as heavy and tall. Their p tamage is very varied ; but the true primitive type is white. THE RUMPKIN, OR TAIL-LESS EOWL lOnlZm eeaudalns, Tenuninck), Is a species according to Temminck, but only a variety in Latham's classification. Bufibn probably had Aldro- vandi before him, when he called it the Tail-less or Persian cock according to some authors ; for Aldrovandi notices it thus : — " The cock, which they call Persian, and 5; THE RUMPKIN, OE TAIL-LESS FOWL. 183 which we have figured, differs from our own sorts, mainly in having no tail; in other respects, it is very like them. The cock, however, has a sort of tail; it was all black, sprinkled with yellow lines; the first quill-feathers were white, the rest black ; the feet ashy. The hen was like our own in respect of shape and carriage ; of ferruginous colour; except the three quill-feathers, which were black." The figure alluded to, has a large double comb stretching backwards. BufiFon was led to credit an absurd notion, accounting for the loss of the tail, to the effect that on their being sent from England — in which country they had become naturalized — to Virginia, they lost their tails ! And this he states, not only on the authority of Virginian colo- nists, but from the notice of these fowls in the " Philosophical Transactions " of 1693. Buffon believed them to have origi- nated in the tail-less forms in Virginia; and bases his hypothesis on the circumstance, that they were unknown to the ancients, and that naturalists did not notice them until after the discovery of America. He rather whimsically argues from analogy, that as European dogs, with long ears, lose their bark, and acquire straight ears on being acclimated in the tropics, so the loss of the tail in fowls is a much less remarkable singularity from effects of climate. He refers to dogs without tails also, which, though he first considered them as monsters, he found to b'e a peculiar species, like that of the Rumpkins among fowls. That they are a distinct species, is undoubted; but that they lost their tails from effects of climate, seems an absurdity. Why, either in the case of dogs or fowls, should one particular variety alone be so influenced by change of climate, as to lose so important an appendage ; and this in countries where tails may be said to flourish generally ? Buffon describes" the Bumpkin as having a blue bill and feet ; either single or double comb ; no top- knot; and plumage of varied colours. This curious and 184 DOMESTIC P0T7LTET. primitive species, from the island of Ceyloiij tas no tail-quills or coverts, because the last of the dorsal vertehrse is deficient ; there is, therefore, no base for a tail. The feathers of the neck are peculiar, resembling long silky hairs, which hang straight down. There is no certain rule as to the colour of the legs of these fowls. Mr. Nolan says, that the legs of all the specimens which passed through his hands, were white ; he describes the ear-lobes as white, and estimates the weight of the cock at six, and of the hen at five pounds ; and the heis^ht of the cock nineteen inches, and of the hen, seventeen .inches. This breeder pronounces the flesh to be white and iuicT. the eeas abundant, and f,he chickens easily reared. In fact, he consider/i^ them a superior kind, in ^nite of their W9i\t of caudp' ornament. CD Q < « {Oattus phaaianus, LinnauB.) This noble race has relationship, though now of remote generationsj with the MrIs-w 'wr! Pbp^sant Malays; and has therefore, still farther, uescenaed Iiom one of the great Jungle Cocks already noticed, which have given existence to such prodigious multitudes. Before we had any of this breed, the inhabitants of several portions of the Malay or Malacca peninsula, and various parts of the East, possessed them, and used them chiefly for the purpose of cockfighting. ' Mr. EUis, in his "Polynesian Researches," has supplied very interesting information about cockfighting in Sumatra, of which we shall give a succinct account. With the natives it is rather an absorbing occupation than a sport. !No man goes out without a cock under his arm, and sometimes large groups of men may be seen thus accompanied; and everf countrymen coming into towns on business, consider it dis- creditable not to have one with them. Deep gambling is a matter of course with these people, who, having a super- stitious confidence in the prowess of their birds from previous successes, will stake their nearest relatives and everything they are worth, on the issue of a combat. A father has been known, when dying, to recommend his son to match a favourite cock for a sum equivalent to his entire property, from the notion that his bird was invincible. They never match birds 186 DOMESTIC POULTRY. of the same colour, but select them of diflFerent ones, lest there should be disputes or deceptions. The Malay breed is held in great esteem in Sumatra. The cocks are never trimmed there for the fight, but left in their full plumage. The spur used is of steel, tied to the leg; and a bird of superior height is brought to an equality -with his adversary by fixing it at such level as the relative heights of the com- batants may require, Dampier, in his Travels, mentions that a thousand Malays will sometimes assemble at one cockfight. In China, also, this sport is common. Asia, having been first peopled, may be assumed to have been the portion of the earth where Game fowls were first bred and used for the amusement, which has been more or less known in the other quarters of the world. The Game bird of the Malay people has more bulk, and therefore more weight, than the English kind, but is said to be deficient in the activity of frame, and high temperament, which a long course of careful breeding has produced in the latter. Before giving any description of the English Game fowl, it may not be superfluous to make some attempts at tracing their introduction into this country. For this purpose cock- fighting must be a little longer dwelt up9n, as practised in ancient times in Europe. More than five hundred years before the Christian era, it was fashionable among the Greeks. In the city of Pergamus there was an ancient exhibition of cockfighting, which origi- nated from an interesting incident. A celebrated Athenian general, when about to engage the Persians, saw some cocks fighting. From this circumstance he took occasion to animate the courage of his troops, saying words to this effect : — " These fowls fight for victory ; one will not yield to the other — and yet they have not motives such as ought to influence you: they have neither country, nor gods, nor THE GAME FOWL. 187 families to fight for." By this happy illustration he so excited the martial spirit of his army, that they fouglit and con- quered. This, then, gave rise to a feeling of gratitude, which he evinced by establishing an annual cockfight festival to the deity who had presented him with the occasion which he had so felicitously turned to the advantage of his countijy. The scene of this festival was the theatre, where ancient philosophers wished that their pupils should attend the exhibitions, to derive lessons in bravery from the noble examples which the cock's indomitable courage afibrded to them.* We must pass by the classical authorities from which it is known that the Greeks, and the Romans afterwards, emu- lously obeyed the instructions so given to them. Cockfighting aud the breeding of Game fowls became of course customary, and so, what was at first partly religious and partly political, became a popular pastime ; and it is believed that the Game birds which both those nations had, were originally from Persia, where the Greek general Themistocles had so remark- ably noticed them. At Alexandria there was, in ancient times, a race of hens famous for producing prime Game cocks. Aldrovandi relates of these cocks, that they fed but once a day, and that the hens would sit again and again, as it was usual to remove their chicks from them as fast as they were hatched, so that one hen would hatch from forty to fifty at one sitting, it may be said. Game hens are, we know, capital sitters and * Lesaona of tliia kind have not been introduced into our schools or universities ; but during the present popularity of fowla, who can say that Exhibitions may not yet be founded, after the venerable sanction of Socrates and Solon, who so higbly approved of the sport in question ? We venture to predict that no great proportion of the students would be plucked from non- attendance at it, even if of more frequent occurrence than at first in classic Greece ; and this popularly illustrated Gallus war would possibly be mora interesting than Ciesar's Gallic one. 138 DOMESTIC POtTLTRT. nurses. Indeed fowls the most pugnacious are generally the closest sitters. Game hens are remarkable also for defending their chickens with that bravery which is their natural tem- perament; and which, in this instance, becomes a useful female virtue. The Mesicansj and probably long before the arrival of the Spaniards into their country, were also devoted to cock- fighting, and the modern inhabitants of Mexico, male and femalcj even of the liighest class, regularly attend the sports of "the cockpit. The first fights we read of in this country were in the reign of Hemy II., though the Romans must have brought the sport into this country. We infer from Caesar's account that the Britons had some notion of it, else why should he have stated that they reared their fowls only for amuse- mcut ? And we are probably indebted for the true Game breed to the Romans, as it is improbable that they could have been so long in Britain without indulging in so favourite a sport. We are informed by historians, that they sent British mastiffs and buUdogs to Rome, the latter being an indigenous species, and highly celebrated by those writers. It would have been as easy, therefore, for them to have imported into England some of the fighting fowls which they had themselves first obtained from Greece and Persia.* We may conclude that cockfighting became a British pastime wherever the natives had opportunities of seeing and mingling in Roman amusements. Cockfighting was prohibited in the reigns of some of our monarchs. Henry VIII. and James I. were fond of it. The Protector, Oliver Cromwell, denounced it by law, but * Buffon considered Persia as the primitive climate of the cock genus generally, cocks being there held in high estimation, particalarly by the Dervishes, who consider them as living timepieces. He says of the English cock, by which he designates the Game breed, that it is higher on the lega^ and more spirited than the Erench breed. THE GAME FOWL. 139 Charles II. reopened the Royal Cockpit at Westminster, which Henry VIII. had established there ; and mains were fought there even within the present century. We cannot give the details of the cockpit, though amusing and curious, nor the opinions of the Fancy as to the rules to be. observed both in training and fighting. A kno^^•letlge of the mysteries of the cockpit would not tend to the improve- ment of morals and manners. The cruel sport has been wisely prohibited by the law, and we must consider it as a bygone English sport of demoralizing tendency. The breed, however, we willingly retain, not for its pugnacious, but its useful properties and its acknowledged beauty. A thorough-bred Game cock of high degree never fails in com'age when opposed to one of his own order. And the Game fowl is the only bird put to the test of combat to prove whether he be genuine or not. For example, a cock was chosen for a main, to make up the number; and his appearance indicated all that the best judges considered essential as to qualifications ; his action and bearing gained their unqualified approval; no flaw nor imperfection was visible ; and the acute men who bred Game fowls for the cockpit would not have overlooked or excused any defect, being remarkably practical and observant persons. When this bird had got through half his battle, he dropped his tail and made a sudden retreat. As he was in perfect health, had been the cock of the walk for eighteen months, and carefully bred from a stock possessed by the owner during the five preceding years, it was inferred from this instance of timidity, that, notwithstanding his favourable points, an in- judicious cross had occurred previously to this period. The poor coward's neck was therefore wrung, and all his relatives shared his fate. Sharp practice of this kind very soon discovered, to the breeder of Game fowls, what any bird's progeny was worth; ^ 140 DOMESTIC POULTRY. for if any imperfection were latent, it would soon become manifest by tl^e natural test. And though in the case of other and select sorts of fowls, such as those we have already . treated of, none of their future progeny will be brought to the trial by combat, nor liable to have hereditary failings dis- ,covered in this manner, the example of those who breed Game fowl should as far as possible be followed by every one who wishes to have prize birds. Fowls, indeed, of hereditary ' excellence, but not showy themselves, and of apparent inferiority to their ancestral line, have produced very fine — even prize birds. The latent qua- lities have been developed in the offspring, which have shown every external excellence. Repeated trials have proved that the characteristics of excellence may be developed in an offspring bred from jndividuds in which some of the prime qualities of the " strain '■" may be but partially revealed. We do not mean to say that birds with small development of some desired point, but which, nevertheless, have been produced from first-class birds, should be preferred, or thought equal to others of more handsome appearance, and which had descended from first-class fowls also; we would merely say that the former should neither be despised nor discarded, provided the excellences required are hereditary, and were possessed by their progenitors. When cockfighting was in fashion and patronized by the aristocracy, the number of birds reared for the cockfight, — besides those bred merely for their beauty in the poultry- yard, and the excellence of their flesh, and the good qualities of the hens for hatching, — was prodigiously great. The numbers, indeed, wanted as reserves for the battlefield must have been large, when a thousand have been known to fall during a single week at Newcastle. So many are even the approved varieties, and so difRcult the modes of distinguishing the sorts among' professed breeds of them, that we are at a loss for a satisfactory classificatiou THE GAME FOWL. 141 of tliem. It is difficult to be clear and definite respecting those that have a just claim to be enumerated; for the shades of distinction are in some instances so minute as to be hardly worth notice, and yet they have been deemed suf- ficient to give rise to numerous names. There is a muster-roll of clans, each claiming a distinctive appellation and honourable position, all however with the like crest — a serrated arch — on which they so pride them- selves, that their best wishers and most constant attendants sometimes think it necessary to lower it ; and even to trim the jackets of these warriors instead of leaving them in full feather. "We might enumerate some tribes by certain titles, which, like the appellations of Rufus and Longshanks, given to two of our mpnarchs, -would indicate their peculiar- ities. If, indeed, we were at liberty to borrow from his- torical titles of this sort, there is no creature — inferior to man — more deserving of being named Cceur de Lion than our Game cock. As the Knowsley strain of black-breasted reds, bred with such care by the late Earl of Derby, is the finest and most select in England, we commence with it. The dignity of this, the highest blood of Game fowls in point of pedigree and bravery of spirit, has been maintained with such extreme attention, that a register has been kept of all the alliances which it has been permitted to form with the fowls of Lord Sefton, and of other individuals noted for breeds with which it was desirable that crossing should be effected. The original blood, according to the report of Mr. Thomas Roscoe, who had the superintendence of this precious breed, has been for a very long time at Knowsley. His description is as follows :* " The cock is a fine round-shaped bird with white striped bill; dun eyes and fiery j round and strong * Dixon. 142 . DOMESTIC POULTRY. neck; fine round close-feathered hackle, feather-points to shoulders; short, stiff, broad back, close-feathered and hard; tail long and sickled, well tufted at root ; wings round, and well prolonged, so as to protect the thighs; breast broa,d and black; belly small and tight in the pinions; thighs short and thick, well set to the body ; legs long and white ; the comb of a stag is rather large and red, before being cut ; weight about five pounds. " The hen is of a fine round shape, in colour resembling a partridge, with daw eyes, white legs, toes, and nails, and large fan tail. The chicks when first hatched inclined to yellow, with a darkish stripe down their back, changing colour as they advance in age." He adds that they are so bold as sometimes to attack men, dogs, calves, pigs, turkeys, and geese.* One of this breed has killed in fair fight seven champions in one day at Knowsley. Many of them are named after their colours alone, viz. : Dark black-breasted birchin duckwings. Brown-breasted or ginger. Silver black-breasted duckwing greys. Clear mealy greys. Dark black yellow- breasted greys. Bed duns. Black duns. Blue duns. Smoky duns. Whites. Whites marked -with red. on the shoulders, bearing the sobriquet of Piles. Streaky piles, if streaked with any colour in hackle, breast, or tail. Dun piles, if any mixture of dun. Cuckoos ; if the white be barred with black and yellow. D c! THE GAME FOWL. US The following, v/hich. are of inferior ranUj preseiit thair colours too : — Pheasant-breasted red. Large spot-breasted red. Blotch-breasted red. Turkey-breasted grey. Large marble-breasted grey. Large spot-breasted grey. Shady-breasted and birchin duck. Streaky-breasted birchin duck. Marble-breasted birchin duck. Brassy wings. The sub-varieties, distinguished for their light-red colour, are those whose breasts are entirely red, or red with black spots, or black with red spots; as the shades predominate, the names are given ; as, ginger-breasted, spotted, and streaky- breasted, &c. There are others, also, — Copper Wings or Wavy Birchens (which are we think the same), and not so distinguished by their colours, as by some uninteresting peculiarities : the Spangles, from their brightness ; the Furnees, from a place in Lancashire ; and the Polecat, from imaginary resem- blance to that animal. Muffs and Tassels bring up the rear, but they have some fair claim to a higher place. The black-breasted reds have branched into families kuown by the colour of their legs. The white legs are Lord Derby's breed. The others are yellow legsj olive legs ; blue legs ; and dark, but happily no black legs. The females, of course, have their pretensions. The bill and jpgs coirespond in cokjup, almost in all instances. The eyes are accurately noticed, aa reii, pale yellow, daw-cyt;, or dark brown. We take the authority of Mr. Sketchley, Ui DOMESTIC POULTRY. wlio knew a great deal about the matter, for selecting the following eight families as entitled to precedence; — dark reds, dark black-breasted reds, dark black-breasted birchin ducks, dark black-breasted berry birchins, silver black- breasted duckwing greys, clear mealy greys, dark black- breasted greys, and red duns. Mr. Sketchley has described the black -breasted birchin duck thus : " The feather is a grey hackle, tinged with black above and black beneath, the ground yellow, with a general shade of the dark birchen throughout ; and clear black breast, with yeUow legs and beak. No cocks continue longer in sound health than those of this kind." The duckwings gene- rally are the most beautiful in plumage ; they derive the name from a bar. of steel-colour across their larger wing-coverts, like that which crosses the mallard. The breast black, wing- coverts rich brown ; the hackles and saddle are white, or, as in our Plate, straw-colour, which is the true game colour'*; the, comb high and fullj as are the wattles ; the eye bright, the ear-lobe small, legs yellow or cinnamon, but not always so. The plumage of this family is truly magnificent, and in this respect it surpasses every other kind. The dark black-breasted berry birchin. — We know not what distinction Mr. Sketchley would have made between this and the preceding bird, unless it were that the plumage has a deeper shade, more of the ripe brown berry than of the bark, of the birch-tree. The black-breasted duckwing greys differ from the other duckwings, in having grey tints in place of yellowish or cream- coloured. " Their iridescent wing-coverts remind one of the speculum in a duck's wing, are most harmoniously coloured, softly yet brilliantly tinted, and only not snfficiently rare to be admired with enthusiasm."* * Dixon, THE GAME FOWL. 145 Clear mealy greys, and dark-breasted greys, are suflSciently designated by their names. Red duns. — The cock is red, with red dun breast, flight- feathers, and tail. "We have inserted the Blue duns in the list. Why should they not have place there, as well as the red, black, and smoky duns ? We have ventured to insert them in this muster-roll of cele- brated Game fowls; though Mr. Dixon, who has honoured them with a distinct chapter — of course an agreeable one — hesitated a little as to the admission of their right to such enrolment. But one of his correspondents described a family of Blue duns long known in Yorkshire and Lanca- shire as "the most courageous and impetuous of the Game fowls, seldom having been known to lose their first battle." The same individual describes the plumage of the cock as singularly beautiful; "the breast of rich dark slate-colour; the feathers having a broad margin of a darker hue; the saddle of a deep blood-colour, and the hackles of the neck and tail of a dark red, gradually shading to a beautiful golden tint; the tail black and flowing, with a brilliant green shade. The hen is marked in the same manner, all over the back and body, with the hackle of the same golden colour." Another correspondent of the same author attributes to the Blue duns these well-known qualities of the Game breed: familiarity, impudence, and pugnacity — and as having the shape and disposition of that race, and " being nearly equal to game of any sort for eating." Pretty strong evidences on the part of the Blue duns, for establishing their claims to consanguinity with the avowedly legitimate Game family. The deeply initiated will know whether the following description of a cockerel of the same sort of duns is CT'tically that of the Game Blue duns, which is spoken of K W6 DOMESTIC POULTR-i. by other vrriters ; for it is most difficult to determine which is the real Simon Pure, there are so many Blue duns perplexing us. But here are the marks and tokens of the cockerel : comb, large, single, deeply serrated ; bill, dark horn-colour, white at the point of both mandibles ; ear-lobe, whitish ; wattles, large and pendent ; iris, orange-brown ; neck-hackle, yellowish grey ; back-hackle, the same, inter- mixed with black; legs, light lead-colour; general tint, bluish dun ; claws, greyish white. The physical processes which have produced Blue dims in other species of fowls, as in the Spanish, Polands, and Hamburgs, by the reversion of colours to some remote typical shades in the ancestors, are interesting to the naturalist ; but too philosophic either for ourselves, or the general readers of poultry books. There is another variety, not in the preceding catalogue, known as the Hen cock, from the resemblance of their short feathers to those of the hen : they are brown or speckled. This feminine appearance was sometimes in their favour at the cockpit. Cocks of another breed, when matched with them, were deceived at first, by supposing them to- be of the tender sex; but the first blow from them dispelled the delusion from the gallant bird who at first had refused to strike. The first blow is half the battle; and often that which, in cock-fighting, decides the contest : Who first attacks the foeman's life. That party conquers in the strife. Besides the varieties mentioned above, there have been birds brought forward as if from India. "At some recent exhibitions, very handsome birds have been shown as Indian Game fowls ; and their brilliant white plumage, fulfilling all our required conditions, has attracted general attention to the class so denominated ; but on instituting inquiries as to their THE GAME FOWL. 147 introduction, doubts previously existing in our minds, were strongly confirmed. The real Indian bird is a heavy, lumpy fowl, whose coarse head, thick neck, low leg, and general bad figure, would at once distinguish it from our English breed ; and thus the fowls in question appeared so much al variance on these points, with those imported birds that were known to us, and the stock thrown by them when crossed with our own fowls, that relationship seemed hardly possible ; we inferred, therefore, that these white birds were incorrectly called Indian. A friend, in whose judgment we place great reliance, strongly confirms this opinion. 'The Indian fowl is just as you mention; indeed I think he may be described as decidedly ugly, and although game, he dares not show the courage of our own ; and certainly the admirers of this breed have no right to assign all white Game fowl to an Indian origin."'* With respect to the Whites generally : they are, when of a uniform colour, very beautiful, but apt to break into piles of various shades ; nor are they, as the phrase " showing the white feather" might intimate, in any degree deficient in courage ; but red, or some other colour, is apt to appear ia the hackles, breast, or tail; and then they become piles according to the colours produced. -The natives of India do not trim their birds for the fight, nor think those that exceed four pounds ten ounces — which was the standard weight of a fighting cock in England — disquahfied for the combat, or, in professional phraseology, from " fighting within the articles" — of war. A gentleman of high military rank, long resident in India, has a drawing in this country, executed in a very spirited style by an Hindoo artist of Calcutta, representing two rajahs, with their respective cocks in mortal combat. The birds therein depicted, are very inferior in appearance to * "The Poultry Book," by the Eev. W. Wingfield and G. W. Johnson, Esq. K 2 148 DOMESTIC POULTRY. ours ; but the chiefs had staked — and this is a fact — a lac of rupees (£10,000) upon the issue. A story is pleasantly related, which, if true, as it probahly is, shows that the Indian Game cock is very inferior in courage and vigour to the British. An European obtained a cock of a common breed and challenged a rajah to match it with one of his; the latter smiled at the challenge, but accepted it. The plebeian bird, to his astonishment, beat its aristocratic antagonist. The conqueror was ultimately sold for a great sum of. money. The treatment and discipline of Game birds is different from that of ordinary fowls ; and though they are now kept for the ordinary purposes, it may not be amiss to give a brief sketch of the peculiar rearing which used to be observed respecting them when the cockpit amusements were allowable, (and which to some extent are, it may be still fol- lowed,) if it were only to maintain the high character of this remarkable race. Indeed their admirers say, that they are to be preferred to all other fowls, for the goodness of their flesh and their hardihood, independently of beauty. When we have inquired whether they do not give much trouble by their quarrel- . some propensities, and require a strong day-police in the poultry-yard, by reason of their fighting together without any apparent cause, we are assured they are as peaceable as other fowls. Mr. Dixon good-naturedly takes their part, and says that though the Game cock will not submit to intrusion or insult, he will not go out of his way to quarrel, and is far from being an aggressive sanguinary tyrant ! He thinks that other poultry, which may happen to be killed by him, have themselves to blame for some impudence and aggression on their parts. We believe, however, that it is enough to say of him, that he is quiet when not vexed, which is but negative praise after all, and such as we may safely THE GAME FOWL. 119 award to very troublesome characters even of the human kind. Mr. Dixon illustrates his defence of the Game fowls, in respect of fighting, by allusion to the sportive combats of puppies and kittens, which growl, snap, grapple, and scratch in perfect good humour. The sparring of pullets, and of cockerels, he thus considers to be mere play. Now, though we often see what certainly is in some measure the exuberance of animal spirits thus discharged, there is reason for think- ing, that there is much really bad temper displayed by the Game breed particularly ; and that the quarrelsome pullet often becomes a vixen hen ; while the cockerel fond of spar- ring in his youth, would make fighting his occupation and delight in after-days. Indeed, we suspect that this apparently playful disposition is in reality a pugnacious one, like that imputed to the Irish peasant, who first treats his friend, then " for love knocks him down." This fighting and persecution is thought to be caused sometimes by the altered appearance which fowls present to each other when their feathers are dirtied and draggled from showers, or dirt adhering to them, and discolouring the plumage, and so disguising them that the nearest relatives and companions do not recognise each other in such condition ; each considering the other as a stranger, they rush accord- ingly against the unknown one. We must allow the possibility of such mistakes of person as an apology for what otherwise would be supposed to proceed altogether from the tempera- ment of this hot-blooded race, from our own experience with regard to the quiet and peaceable Shanghaes. Some young hens and a cock were living in great harmony; one of the hens, in search of insects in the sediment of a nearly dry pond, fell in, and dirtied her feathers, so as to be in complete masquerade. The first of her assailants was the cock, pre- viously her devoted mate, and for days she was obliged to 150 DOMESTIC POTJLTKY. hide from the persecutions of the whole set, until her dis- figurement had passed away. At the time, we supposed that the feathers of the hen might have exhaled bad odours from the foul pond, and offended the sensibilities of her com- panions. But upon inquiry, and consideration as to the causes of such a sudden outbreak of hostility as that just related, we think it might have proceeded from the cause first suggested. A very simple punishment has been resorted to for bringing into subordination young Game cocks, so that the mastery may be left to some senior, who is expected to preserve order by the awe which his presence, prowess, and experience are calculated to inspire. The punishment consists in holding any naughty quarrelsome young bird in one hand, and allowing any other bird he might have attacked to peck at him, and punish his head until he cries out J or, what is more of a lady-like discipline, to slap him with a glove or handkerchief until he becomes subdued, respectful to his superiors, and peaceable to his equals. Some assaults consist in pecking at the skin of the skull to a violent and perhaps fatal degree. This is only going a little farther, and more seriously, than the Spanish birds, which have a strange similar propensity to peck at each other, but harmlessly. In the Game breed, the cockerel becomes a stag when one year old, and is not called a cock until he is two years old. His comb used to be clipped, or dubbed, at the discretion of the operator, when he began to crow, or from the age of five to nine months. This "dubbing" was not to confer the honours of knighthood, but to give him a sharp, knowing, game look. The cutting of the comb has been as much a matter of style and fashion as the trimming of the human head; cock-barbers sometimes cutting high, and sometimes low : the fleshy caruncles behind the ears, and the wattles were also clipped. And indeed all this was necessary, and of THE GAME FOWL. 161 course continues to be so wherever such pugnacious birds are kept, lest tho3e tender parts should be injured in the conflicts of the poultry-yard, and inconvenience the bird encumbered with such superfluous excrescences from seeing clearly where to deal his blows, or how to escape from the assaults of his antagonist. The majority of Game cockorejs are now destined to the spit, when fatted for it in separate compartments of a coop. It is a sad death for them to die, comparatively with the glorious exits made from the stage of lite, with wnicu their ancestors were honoured, when they, in this, unliiie the knights of olden chivalry, received their spurs before they won them, in anticipation of the gallantry and prowess with which they were so sure to use them. The feeding of Game cocks was of a particular kind : hard food, alternating with physic and a regimen calculated to put them into the best condition, without being too fat or heavy. Their bread was called cock-bread, and made of flour, eggs, and yeast, in certain proportions, with some spicy condiment. Barley, and toasted bread steeped in water, at other times was given to them, with a little meat chopped smaiu (ftaClvs BaiJciva; Le Coq de £(mtam.) Mr. Dixon very humorously attributes the passionate temper of the Bantams^ to the superabundance of pepper which they pick up in their native island of Java; their arrogance and assumption, to the use of a certain herb called bang ; and their propensity to make every rival turn tail, to the court etiquette, which obliged all her subjects to turn their backs upon their sovereigns, whenever they passed by. The Bantam species has much resemblance fo the Javan cock {Gallus Banldva), but the position of the tail differs, being horizontal and vaulted in the latter, while in the former it is more upright, and forms two vertical planes. The feathers which fall from the neck over the top of the back, are long in the cock, and with divided barbs ; the end of each feather widening a little and becoming rounded.* Buffon describes the Bantam as bearing a strong resem- blance to the coq pattu of France, having the feet covered with feathers on the outside ; forming a sort of boot to the very claws. He notices its fiery eye, and distinguishes between two sorts of the Bantam — but both English — a large booted sort, and the dwarf, which is of gold plumage, and has a double comb. He seems to have known different sorts, including the very diminutive creature not larger than a pigeon, witli white and golden plumage. • Cuvier. i^m^^. 03 W o O > O H THE BANTAMS. 163 Temminck considers that the Turkish cock, which is allied to the BantaiHj belongs likewise to the Bankiva species; and this naturalist considers the Bantam and Turkish toge- ther, by reason of the strong analogy between themselves, and with the Bankiva. They resemble each other in small- ness of size, in the form of the tail, and may, according to our present authority,* be considered, perhaps, as. the result of a breed, less crossed, more directly proceeding from the Gallus Bankiva. The chief diflference is found in the feathering (more or less long) with which the tarsus and toes are covered; and this difiFerence is not a specific diflfer- ence, but the eflfect of domestication. The races whose tarsi and toes are so heavily feathered, owe, according to our naturalists, this peculiarity to superabundance of nutriment, which produces those feathers on their lower extremities, as in the instance of the crested fowls, it produces tufts on the head. On the assumption (which there is no reason to doubt) that the Gallus Bankiva is the remote parent of the Bantam and the Turkish, and that we are rightly informed that the races most approaching the primitive species have expe- rienced the fewest alterations from domestication, we are rather puzzled to account for the great changes that have taken place in the little Bantams, and their congeners the Turks. We are not distinctly informed of any peculiar species having feathered legs, with which they have formed inter-aUiances. The fact, however, that the hirsute covering has been banished in many instances by crossings, and perhaps reversions towards the clean-limbed progenitors, in some measiire satisfies our perplexities — while we feel how tme it is that there are many things which we dream not of in our philosophy. Inter-aUiances repeated continually, and with distinct and foreign species, will efifect very curious * The Editors of iho new edition of Cuvier. 15* DOMESliC POULTRY. physical changes in the animal economy ; and Dr. Gwynne appears to have settled the case of the genealogy of the diminutive -Bantams. His notion is, that, derived from some of the full-sized breeds, they have degenerated from causes adverse to their attainment of large growth, and have become a distinct species, especially distinguished by their small size. He reasons from analogous degeneracy, in other instances, not confined to poultry, but extending even to mankind, as in the extremes of the Patagonians of South America, and the Bosjesmans of South Africa. And he points to the fact that care is taken to keep down the size of the Bantams to the admired standard by various means. It is curious that in the case of the Bantams, the usual course of improving the race of domesticated animals, in- cluding poultry, and all creatures intended for human food, or human use in any way, by increasing the bulk, is scru- pulously counteracted. That the Bantams may have the least possible chance of much growth, they are hatched by fanciers in September, an anti-utilitarian practice, which, if pursued with other kinds, would carry its own condemnation with it. Whatever may have been the original causes, -whether peculiarity of climate, or stinted supplies of food, that may have restricted or reduced their size to their present small scale, as regards the Brobdignags of Shanghae or Java, these fowls are the smallest, and for this very reason, independently of fine plumage and symmetrical form, are the prettiest of poultry pets. The influences that have caused their present form must have been considerable, if indeed they were not created pretty much as we see them. Who can prove that they were not ? An engraving before us — ^whibh is no doubt perfectly cor- tect, from the high character of the work in which it appears — of the Gallus Bankiva, the reputed original of the Bantam THE BANTAMS. 166 tribej is a tall, slim, wicked-looking bird, with very fine drooping sickle-feathers, and not like the little coxcombical, impudent, and vain puppy who holds up his head, and struts in his gait, and carries his inwardly-curved tail so high that we might expect to see him elevated from the ground, which he almost disdains to tread, and blown away by a blast of wind. And yet one or two varieties of Bantams at least, — the black-breasted and the Game, — have much resemblance to the aforesaid jungle-fowl. The varieties to be noticed are : — The yellow or Nankin Bantam. The Game Bantam. The gold-laced Sebright. The silver-laced Sebright. The Spangled. The Black. The "White. The Silk, The Partridge. The Jumper or Creeper. The Yellow, or Nankin. — This latter name is inappropriate : for Nankin is not assumed to be the original locality of any of these fowls, as far as tre can learn; and the ginger-yellow colour of the cotton manufactured in China or India, cor- . rupted into Nankeen, is a very unmeaning designation. Yet our Anglo-Indians have applied it. Let us call them yellow Bantams, and proceed to describe them. • The cock has variegated and very showy plumage, in which orange and scarlet, with deep chestnut on the back and wings, are apparent; the tail-feathers black; hackles shghtly purplish ; breast black, with some of the feathers edged with white; comb either double or single, — a few 168 DOMESTIC POULTRY. prefer the latter, but neither disqualifies these fowls for com- petition as show birds. The hen : — plumage principally ginger-yellow ; hackles dark; comb small; legs of a lead-blue. There is a sub-variety known as — The Game Bantam. — This has more brown than the former, but much resembles some branches of the real Game bird in form and colours, although on a very reduced scale of proportion. This similarity, in some instances, has been so strong, as to have led to the notion that our variety is a mongrel — ^by successive descents — ^between a small sort of the Game breed and the dark-breasted red Bantam; but this does not appear well founded. The artist has portrayed this Game-coloured breed, which here shows, from a living model, — a breast of dark-coloured and red hackles, with the characteristic upright tail, and with sickle-feathers, which, as we have noticed, do not ornament the plumage of the high-bred Bantams. This variety has the good qualities of the Game breed for hatching the eggs of partridges and pheasants, and bringing up the delicate broods of birds which cannot be domesticated sufficiently to incubate in the poultry-yard. The caprice which has proaounced the hairy covering (and the more excessive the more prized) along the thighs, legs, and toes, of the Cochin China family to be worthy of admi- ration, has condemned a similar distinction in some Bantams. This is an inconsistency. The hirsute covering which was natural to the Bantams, even to the tips of the claws, but which certainly contributes to render these conceited things ridiculously consequential, has been got rid of, in many in- stances, by repeated crossings through a long course of years. The object of the fancy now is to produce birds that are not " booted," merely because it is very difficult to get rid of what nature has given^ and what art tries to subdue : fashion THE BANTAMS. 157 calls for the clean-legged ones, instead of those that were feathered with long hairs brushing the very ground as they moved along, when they were imported here two centuries ago. There are reasons for discouraging the growth of "fluff: " it has been found inconvenient to hens getting in and out of their nests, deranging, by entanglement, the straw and eggs, and when wet, the hairs, which are sometimes three inches long, annoyed the young chickens exceedingly, just as the spurs of a field officet or dragoon would be troublesome among the musHn trains of ladies in a baU-room. The speckled feather-legged Bantams are almost as rarely seen now as a mocassined Red Indian in the civilized parts of America, or as a gentleman of the old school in Hessian boots (occasionally indeed a rara avis of this sort, vain of his handsome legs, may be seen in the streets of London, exhibiting himself in this guise for admiration) j but this is an exceptive case in dress and taste. And so it is with what we may term the antique boot-hose of our little fowls. Yet this appendage of the Bantams had its use in preventing these nice little creatures from scratching, and so rendering them harmless pets in a garden. That they might be usefully eniployed in destroying grubs and insects, particularly wood-lice, even in the best-kept gardens, is a fact established by a practical and professional correspondent of the " Gardener's Chronicle."* He states that wood-lice may be killed by employing Bantams. He ex- perimented with these little labourers thus : — Having caught a hundred wood-lice, they were presented to three Bantams, which devoured them in about two minutes. Seeing how ser- viceable they were likely to be in this way, he had them in attendance when turning a compost ; and neither wood-louse nor any insect escaped from their active beaks. In gardens, it may be concluded, they would save various crops which * December Ist, 1849. 158 DOMESTIC POULTKY. might otherwise be injured. The clean-legged Bantams would however do mischief by scratching. The Gold-laced Sebright. — This is the most prized sort, brought to such perfection of miniature beauty by that en- thusiastic breeder of them, the late Sir John Sebright, M.P. for Herts, who is said to have obtained the first, specimens from India, and exercised every device by which he thought it likely to attain some desired point. Distance was nothing to him in pursuit of a bird by which some experimental cross could be effected to produce any proposed excellence. One of his objects was to have the largest, smallest, and best varieties of the gold and silver kinds, and after long and patient experiment, and much secret and mysterious pro- ceedings, he succeeded. The progressive alterations effected by the perseverance of Sir John Sebright were of the following nature : the Polish breed was crossed with the Bantam, between forty and fifty years ago, and the first result was a spangled plumage, and subsequent crosses produced in the beautiful feathers the black edge, which is so much admired. But this gain in feather was attended with the disadvantage of increase of size, from the greater bodily proportions of the Polish breed ; and gene- rations of birds passed away before this tendency to increase the size could be restrained. The addition of the tuft was regarded with dismay, when it first appeared, and years were occupied in other crossings, before this appendage dis- appeared from the new race. But this was not all : the hackle-feathers were to be removed also; and this was brought about by inter-alliance with the Chester cock. " None but those who understand the process can imagine (says Mr. Baily) the difficulties of producing the Sebright Bantams; they were the result of years, and can only now be kept up by frequent changes of blood ; if this be neglected, and the same stock is bred year after year, the lacings first THE BANTAMS. 169 rlisappear, next the colours come in patches, at last you get single combs, sickle-feathers, and ugly yellow and black birds." The cock of the particular variety above named is arrayed in plumage of golden brownish-yellow, every feather having, all the length, a narrow border of black ; the quill and prin- cipal tail-feathers having the extremities tipped with black j double comb, and the wings drooping almost to the ground, but like a gentleman's cloak (we except a lady's), not altoge- ther sweeping it. The tail without sickle-feathers, and folding considerably, is carried well over the back. There are neither saddle nor hackle feathers. The feet blue and free from feathering. With respect to the colour of the small ear-lobe, Mr. Hewitt has thus expressed his judgment : — " In the Sebright laced Bantams, I have yet to see a specimen in which the ear-lobe is perfectly white; all that I have yet had were blushed, and many were perfectly red in the ear-lobe. I should prefer the white, but it is not to be generally, if ever, obtained. I have also invariably noticed, that any unusual whiteness of the ear-lobe is accompanied by a sad falling-off in the lacing, and therefore, if attainable only at so great a cost, it must not be insisted on. Whether the ear-lobe is white, or possesses the blue tinge, either form would place the bird above those of its competitors, who, equal in other points, manifested the decided red stain, which, it mxist be remem- bered, is widely removed from the ' blushed' appearance above alluded to.'^ The gold-laced hen corresponds exactly with the cock in plumage and other particulars, excepting weight, in which she should be two or three ounces lighter. No class of Bantam is more vain and impudent than this laced Bantam. Both sexes — but more especially the male — seem conscious of their really captivating appearance, and as if they prided themselves on weighing but fifteen or sixteen ounces, and would not eat of anything that might be found 160 DOMESTIC POULTRY. to give grossness to their tiny and graceful forms, of which the breast protrudes in a truly impudent manner. Silver-laced Bantams. — These differ from the foregoing kind, only in having a -white silvery, instead of golden ground plumage : the more nearly that the ground shade — which is usually of a cream-colour, and sometimes very yellowish — approaches to the pure white, the more prized and beau- tiful is the specimen. That these prized beauties are not easily reared, is one of the circumstances which endear them to the possessor. Out of forty-five eggs of this variety, Mr. Baily considered himself fortunate in obtaining eleven chickens : an illustration of the fact that birds of very high degree are not so fertile as those of the humbler classes. The chicks of the Bantams generally should be hatched in fine weather, and kept for some time iii a cozy place. The Silver Bantams make greater efforts, it is said, than their Golden congeners, to attain something of size; and therefore the restraining power of art to subdue this ten- dency in them, is more requisite than with the others. Of these, very dwarfish and ill-proportioned creatures have been brought into life, as if to mock and reproach the bungling hand of man, who tries to mar the Creator^s work. We have read of a Gold-laced Sebright, in size between a fieldfare and a pigeon, with a head and comb large out of all due propor- tion, and seen it acknowledged that no efforts have succeeded with an individual experimenter in rearing perfectly-formed specimens of the varieties we are treating of, that weighed less than one pound avoirdupois for the cocks^ and an apothecary's pound for the hen. The Spangled Bantams, which have probably resulted from crossings with the Silver-laced and other sorts, are only estimable when the spangles are clearly and distinctly marked, especially on the breast of the male bird. They hardly deserve a distinct notice, as the other sorts have altogether THt BANTAMS. 181 superseded them in the essential points of beauty. This has been a matter of regret to some of the old-fashioned fanciers, who love the speckled feather-legged Bantams, if it were only frr " auld lang syne." They have admirers who austrt that their ancient pedigree and high caste entitle them to be respected and raised from their present comparative state of neglect. The Black Bantam. — The cock has a black glossy plumage,- with purplish, rather than the greenish mineral lustre which the Spanish reflects; tail arched and flowing, and showing sickle-feathers ; double crimson comb and wattles ; legs dark lead-colour, free from hair, to render him fashionable, though he often sports the well-furred* leg and foot. One who seems to have studied his physiognomy and deportrnent. discovered that he has " a waggish impudent eye :" the self-satished air is common to all of the name and race. The hen has less lustrous plumage, and is free from the impudence of her mate; she has smaller comb and wattles. The writer above referred to, considers her as "less knowing" — of inferior ability to her mate — and therefore, we may humbly conclude, unlikely to henpeck him, as might be the case if she were of the " intellectuals." They are reported to be domestic and quiet, good layers, good sitters, but not very careful mothers; their eggs are long, oval, and tinged with bufi"; of these they will lay — as do most of the varieties — great numbers in the course of the year, a circumstance highly in favour of the breed generally, in confined situations, where larger fowls would suffer from want of space and free range. Their size is so diminutive, that they have been compared, when first born, to the queen of the black humble- bees, and as having legs apparently more designed for an insect than for a chicken. These Blacks are very courageous ; will fight desperateiv tor * This fdrring is in no case on the inner side of the thigh or leg. L 162 DOMESTIC POULTET. an insect or a grain of corn, even -with Wds mvLch. fcaviat . ana thus they show some affinity to the Game breed. The lol- lowing short anecdote is characteristic of their pugnacity : — "There were two cockerels in this brood; they were little things,* beautifully shaped, but ridiculously diminutive. ( These two little imps spent the greater part of their time in fighting, which only made us laugh, judging serious iniury impossible ; but shortly observing one unusually triumphant (for it had always been a sort of drawn game between thein), and the other^ walking about in an odd and uncertain manner, though firm and fearless, I found that this latter had both its eyes closed, from wounds received the day before. I carried it to my dressing-room, to relieve it by sponging, and set it on the stair-cloth while I went to fetch some warm water. Still blind, it began crowing vivaciously ; in a few minutes its eyes were unsealed and it was returned to the yard; but battle after battle was immediately fought, and we were obliged to eat one of the combatants to prevent the mutilation of both."t The White Bantam is as pretty and interesting as the fan- tail pigeon. We think it was one of this variety which we noticed at Her Majesty's aviary, as of a silvery plumages a little creature which had laid three eggs, two of which were hatched and reared by a pigeon. But generally the white is dingy, and therefore objectionable, with strict regard to neat and tidy appearance in foul weather. In form and symmetry this variety is the same as the black. It is no easy matter to breed specimens possessed of these Qualities — " Plumage perfectly white throughout, without a ♦ JMsj we not apply these not very legitimately rhythmical lines to thea *— "The god of love 's a little wight. And beautiful aa thought, And thou art little, nice, and ligh^ And eveiy thing, — in short." t Dixon. a o CO >— < feJ o 1-3 to. t> S 00 THE BANTAMS. 168 single stain ; bill, legs, and fee*; the same ; tlie white eax- lobe well developed; a low rose-comb, with wattles of bright scarlet ; a pink face and full sicide-tail in the cock."* We have seen some white specimens with pink legs, pink bills, and very clean legs : these were capital layers and sitters. The pugnacity natural to the Blacks, does not affect the Whites, which are, on the contrary, of mild character. Yet, though their colour is emblematical of peace, some strange rumours have been circulated, which, if true, would show that the blood-red flag is their appropriate banner. Beautiful specimens of these were exhibited, at the last Metropolitan Show, with " fluff " in abundance. The fine engraving of them in the Illustrated News, gives them some resemblance to young ladies in Bloomer trousers, bordered about the ankles on the outer sides with white lace. Silk Bantam. — This variety is very beautiful j as in the instances of some other sorts of Silk fowls noticed. The beautiful group presented in these pages is possibly of the kind properly called the Nankin Silky. Her Majesty, if we recollect right, has beautiful specimens of these Bantams — which are only exceeded in delicacy and loveliness of plumage by the Lace-pigeon, which is certainly in the Windsor Aviary. The Partridge Bantams. — When chicks^ these have such resemblance to young partridges, that it is not surprising that the name which they bear should have been given them as distinctive. They were employed, too, for hatching and nursing partridges. They resemble — to compare little things with large — the Golden Hamburghs, in the shape of the rose-comb, at the back part, the blue legs and shading of feathers — " they are Hamburghs among the Bantams ; just as many birds of one continent are found represented in another by corresponding though quite distinct species of the same genus." t ♦ "The Poultiy-Book." t Dixon. 164 DOMESTIC POULTRY. The points of some prize specimens * are thus given in a recent publication : — " The cock, rose-combed ; yellowish-brown hacMes ; sad- dle-feathers slightly streaked with black; tail sickled, and of a rich black j back and wing-coverts partridge-coloured j primary feathers bay, but dusky at their extremities ; under parts of the body dark drab. " The hens had a bright yellow hackle, touched with black ; breast and under part of the body drab ; the rest partridge- colour." The Turkish Cock {Coq de Turquie, Buffon) is considered one of the varieties of the Bantam, by Temminck and other writers. Buffon simply observes, " that it is only remarkable for its beautiful plumage." Aldrovandi describes the Turkish Cock as having the whole body whitish, except the wing feathers and belly, which are black ; the tail black, tinged with iridescent green, some of the feathers being green on one side, and black on the other j the body with golden and silvery streaks ; the legs and feet bluish. The hen white, spotted in part -njith black ; wattles smaller than those of the cock, but in other respects resembling his, except that her neck ia yellowish, and her tail of uniform colour. Another specimen is described by him as spotted with black and white. Sir W. Jardine describes a Turkish fowl at length j but the description of the tail corresponds to that of our !l^antams. The brown feathers, margined with gold, and having edgings of black, are sufficiently corresponding with the Sebrights to stamp them as of the numerous Bantam family. The Fowls of Cambodje, described by Buffon, and called in English, Creepers, from their peculiar movement, are, or were, a variety of Bantams. This naturalist's description of thena IS as tbilows : — " I'heir legs so short that their wings ♦ Exhibited by E. C. Sayers, Esq. THE BANTAMS. 165 trail on the ground. They are very like the dwarf fowl of Britany, which perhaps is reared there on account of its fecundity. It has always a jumping gait; in general form these fowls are in body about tbe size of ordinary fowls, and are only dwarfish in the legs, which are very short." "We have literally translated BufFon here. He says neither more nor less about them than what we have stated. Their jumping is their chief peculiarity. BufFon particularizes, subsequently, the Bantam, with feet and legs feathered, and with the feathers so long as to form a sort of boot, which falls below the claws. This bird he describes as remark- ably combative and bold, even against fowls which are much more than his match in size. He also distinguishes the dwarf English sort, of golden plumage and with double comb. And again, a pigmy race, not larger than a pigeon, with plumage golden or white (silvery). Aldrovandi has given a description of the hen of this dwarf breed, as all black, except the flight-feathers, which are white at the ends, with white crescent-shaped spots on the neck, and a yellow rim round the eye ; the head crested ; comb small and dark-coloured ; feet yellowish ; claws of equal length, and very white. Can that be a true Bantam which MandeUo describes, and which Buffon identifies with the demi-poule of India, — or Java Fowl — described by Willughby as having a tail very like that of a Turkey ? — a race having at least the family disposition for fighting to the last gasp. Aldrovandi's description of the Bantam cock, is as follows : — Neck and back chestnut ; wings at first black with whitish spots, which afterwards become black; the flight-feather white on the outside, black underneath; the throat, breast, belly, thighs, and legs, black, with whitish spots ; feet yellow ; comb double, and not very large; bill yellow; wattles large; tail-feathers partly white and partly black. The hen is of a yellowish colour, and everywhere, except on the neck 166 DOMESTIC POXTLTRT. marked with oblong black spots. One of the "fancy/' in Buffon's day, had seen in Paris the sort described by Wil- lughby, and found that it had neither comb nor cravat ; that the head was smooth as the pheasant's, the tail long and pointed: the length of leg considerable (something of the Game sort it would seem), the feathers of unequal length,, and their colour generally brown, like that of the \Tilture. Mr. Nolan notices the Barbary fowl as a large grotesque creature, like the booted Bantam. He received some speci- mens of this sort across the Mediterranean through Spain. They are large in body, and fertile, and though really unlike the Shanghaes, have been passed ofiF in some instances as such. Their colour is dark, and their boots render them objection- able as mothers, for the reasons already noticed. We know not to what family these African nondescripts properly belong; yet they seem to be worth claiming, though the Bantams in their excessive conceit may think proper to dis- own them. That the Bantams are fashionable, is proved by the Metropolitan Show in January, 1854, containing eighty pens of this species. «-«s>Gs4:«3 THE HAMBURGHS. I73 This is the second division of the First or Pencilled Class, and distinguished from it l>v having " a clear unmixed onhry- yelJow ground, instead of white." The hen represented in tne plate fully answers the required distinctions as to ground-colour. The cock is more red than the strict rule would appear to warrant ; but " we are told not to draw any conclusions from the colour of the Boltons alone, for that is extremely varied." It is often rich and brilliant. The Bankiva being the original type of Game fowls, Ban- tams, and Hamburghsj the males are all furnished with two full sickle-feathers at each side. The Hamburgh is about the size of the Game cock. He should have no black, except a little marking on the wings. The plate represents him as quite free from this imperfection. The pike-form of the comb, reaching backward a considerable length, is noticeable, as are the short bill, the full crimson face, and the small white ear-lobe, which are true characteristics. Chaucer's lines, before alluded to, are so generally applicable to the bird before us, that they must not be omitted : — ■ " His comb was redder than the fine corall. Embattled as it were a oastel wall ; His bill was black, and as the jet it shone, Like azure were his legges and his tone [toes,] His nails whiter than the lily flour, And like the burned gold was his colour." The hen has a similar ear-lobe, and the yellow buff hackle is true to her natural appearance. We now come to the second, or Spangled class of Ham- burghs, with darker hackle. The Silver Spangled. — These, which are a sub-variety of the Silver Pencilled, have also white for their ground-colour, and black spots upon every feather. The hackles have black stripes along the central line of each feather, which exhibit 174 DOMESTIC POULTRY. the white edgings more distinctly from the contrast; the breast evenly spangled ; the tail-feathers are spangled with black and white; the comb is the same as that already described, and fully two inches in breadth^ as is the ear-lobe; the bill is white; the legs are of a lighter blue than in the pencilled class. The hen is singularly beautiful, and just the sort to be kept as a pet, and admired, as she universally is, at public exhibitions ; the black markings on her clear white hackles, which have a very pleasing effect, are noticed as a very distinctive point between this and the Pencilled Ham- burgh, the hen of the latter sort having pencillings across the feathers, whereas the former have but a single spangle on each; the tail-feathers, of much white with black tips, add to the beauty of the whole plumage. " We think that the spangle which approaches to a circular form is the most correct, for when of the creseeut or horse- shoe shape, it appears to be passing towards the laced character. When the spangle is of the crescent form, the plumage may have a gayer and lighter aspect (we are speaking of the dark spangled) ; but when the spangle is circular or oval, the plumage is richer to the eye. The ground-colour must be perfectly clear."* The three other names associated with the Silver Spangled are, in fact, the same sort of birds, or with distinctions too imperfectly defined to be intelligible. Some of the Poultry Clubs in the north of England have added the name of Pheasant both to the Silver and Golden Spangled Ham- burghs, though that bird itself has no affinity with them. These have been so called in addition to their proper family name, from their silver and gold markings, which respectively resemble those of the silver and gold pheasants. Standards of desirable points and markings being specified by the clubs, * " The Poultry Book." THE HAMBUEGH3. 17S the members exert tliemselves aocordingly to produce speci- mens possessing tliem ; and it is not surprising that local denominations should in some instances be given to them by successful breeders. The Golden Spangled only differs from the Silver Spangled family in having a yellow or golden bottom-colour: in all other respects they are the same. Mr. Nolan gives as the weightj five and a half pounds for the cock, and four and a half for the hen ; and nineteen inches in height to the former, and designates the colour "reddish yellow." We cannot withhold Mr. Baily's opinion respecting the varieties, as far at least as appellations are in question; he entirely identifies the Moss with the Mooney, which he thinks is in both classes an offshoot from the Hamburgh. He says of them, " Whether the colour be white or yellow, the whole of the body should be spangled with black ; each spangle should be full, plain, and rich, and the wings should be well barred with the same colour. On one point a diversity of opinion exists : while some like the breast clouded, others insist on accurate and well-defined spangles; my own opinion is strongly in favour of the last, and I have always considered that the spangles should be, if possible, as correct as the lacing of a Sebright Bantam. Both cock and hen have ample tails. They have blue legs, their carriage is cheerful, they are good layers, good mothers, and are very hardy. They are also called Spangled Hamburghs. I have never considered they had any claim to that name." The most satisfactory exposition that can be given of the points required by the Poultry Clubs in the north of England, where the Hamburghs are enthusiastically admired and carefully bred, is that which their printed rules specify respecting the Golden Hamburghs ; and a careful perusal of them will show whether, or how far the Mooney s be, or be not, distinguished from the main stock of Hamburghs. 176 DOMESTIC POULTRY. Points. Marks an Peatliers, dc, considered lest. 1. Comb fBest double; best square; the most erect, and \ best spiked behind. 2. Ea»8 The largest and best white. [■The best streaked with green-blaok in the S. Neck J middle of the feathers ; and best iringed with [_ gold at the edges. The largest moons ; brightest and best green- black, most free from being tipped with white 4. Bbbast \ or red at the end of the moon, and the clearest and best red from the moon to the bottom colour. !The largest moons ; brightest and best green- black, least tipped with white or red at the edges of the moon, and the best and clearest red from the moon to the bottom-colour. !The largest moons ; brightest and best green- black, least tipped with white or red at the edges oi the moon, and the best and clearest ' red from the moon to the bottom-colour. four narta ^ Best and brightest green-black, and best and 1st Bow .:...■. J clearest red. !To have two distinct bars, composed of the largest, clearest, brightest, and best green- black moons, and the clearest and best red from the moon to the bottom-colour. 8. Flight The clearest and best red. 4. The lacing, or top of ( '^'VV^I'^^''' .''^**™f^ '''''gl'te V"^ best green- the winffabove the } black spots on the ends of the feathers, and. gj vj 1 the best and clearest red from the spot to the ° ( bottom-colour. g Tail ^The brightest, darkest, and best green-black. 1. To be lull-feathered. 9. Less The best and clearest blue. 10. General Appeabanob. The best-feathered hen. The Red Cap has, perhaps, a larger comb than ordinary, but it has nothing of head-dress beyond a comb. If this, or any sort, should have a topknot, it is of impure breed. And in Mr. Baily's succinct and decisive phraseology, "no true Hamburgh has topknot, single comb, white legs, any approach to feather on the legs, white tail, or spotted hackle." THE HAMBITEGHS. 177 Mr. Nolan has obtained another table of club-rules from the north, which beats the south of England in Hamburghs in general opinion, respecting the variety called the Black Pheasant, which is bred, he has no doubt, from the other Pheasant Hamburghs mentioned. The rich glossy black of this variety has no resemblance to that of the true pheasant. The points required in this variety by the collective wisdom of the amateurs, are as follow : — Pomtt, Marhs on Feather),